Emerald Cabaret
by MissFantastic
Summary: The war ended years ago and everyone found a way to adjust to the peace and quiet. Many of the younger generation had become used to the adrenaline rush. Hermione found several new avenues for excitement. When Sirius sees a sexy, mysterious masked singer in Wizarding London's new cabaret, he is entranced. Will he realize who is singing? How will they manage the feelings that arise?
1. Chapter 1

Thank you to the incomparable bunnyhops for her beta work!  
I do not own Harry Potter & Co. They belong to JK Rowling.  
I'm going to say this is EWE - several years after the war and we find a united British Wizarding community.  
I have a couple chapters written and will try to post weekly. I'm looking at 8 chapters in the end.

Chapter One

Sirius Black slowly looked around him, trying to find his destination in the rain. The clouds blocked the half moon that was out that night and the street he was on had very few lamps. Sirius figured that may have been on purpose. He reached into his pocket and felt the smooth metal key that he'd been given a few weeks prior. He'd gotten it from an old acquaintance while he was in Monaco along with some very cryptic directions. The wizard insisted that if he was returning to London, this particular entertainment was right up his alley.

Sirius had been living it up since the war ended. He'd spent over a decade in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit and was only free for what felt like a minute before he was shoved into the Veil. His time in the Veil was better than the prison, but only because he couldn't recall much of it. He did remember his cunt of a cousin Bellatrix shooting an Avada Kedavra at him without hesitation. As the spell hit him, he felt the mist in the Veil reach out for him. Sirius wasn't sure why, but the Veil pulled him in and arrested the progression of the curse, holding him in suspension. Regardless of why, it was a whole lot of nothing happening to him for years. When that bitch Bella was killed, the magic of her spell evaporated and the Veil released its hold on him. All of a sudden and without warning, Sirius was spit out. He'd missed the fights, the battles - all of it. Sirius felt left out and useless. Not one to dwell on unpleasant feelings, Sirius threw himself into the reconstruction efforts. Once that was done, Sirius watched all his friends settle back into their lives.

Sirius wasn't particularly interested in settling down since he had spent so much time confined. So he travelled. In the past four years, he's circumvented the globe three times. He lay on beaches, climbed mountains, explored caves, and went diving for lost treasure. He went to hot new clubs, casinos, and restaurants; making friends where ever he went. Sirius did try to return home a few times each year. He visited with his friends, though he was never out of touch. Sirius was a surprisingly good correspondent. London still felt like home, no matter where he went. He'd even had Grimmauld Place thoroughly renovated. Hardly anyone recognized the Black ancestral home anymore. Kreacher didn't survive long after the war ended and Sirius hired a pair of nice free elves to look after the place. Well, to be fair, a certain Muggle-born witch with a passion for elf rights found them, interviewed them, and brought the pair to his house; but Sirius did _hire_ them.

Sirius finally noticed a door, such a deep, dark forest green that it initially looked black in the night. A small brass plaque next to the door read _Emerald Cabaret._ Sirius tried the handle, but it didn't budge. He chuckled at himself as he fished the key out of his pocket. He was told this place didn't advertise and no one could get in without a key. _How intriguing_ , he thought as he tapped the key to the handle and watched the door silently glide open.

Sirius stepped into a very small room that was mirrored on both sides. Ahead of him was a very striking, tall blonde witch dressed in a low cut emerald green, sequined evening gown. She stood at a substantial ebony podium and behind her was a dark green velvet curtain. Sirius imagined that his destination was in the other side of the curtain.

"Good evening, sir." The witch smiled politely. "May I have your name?"

"It is a good evening," Sirius responded, flashing his best smile. The witch didn't swoon, which was unusual. "I'm Sirius Black. An acquaintance of mine gave me this in Monaco."

He held up the key, but the witch didn't seem to care about it one way or the other.

"Just a moment, Mr. Black," she said. She lifted her wand and tapped a large silver metal disk. He saw his name flash on it and then disappear as it sank into the metal.

Apparently, the key would just get you in the door. Sirius wondered for the first time who owned this club and if they were in charge of vetting people for admission. After about thirty seconds, the disc glowed green and the witch's smile widened just slightly.

"Welcome to Emerald, Mr. Black." Sirius felt her smile was genuine now. She stepped to the curtain and drew it aside.

Sirius could feel the excitement welling inside him. He couldn't see into the darkness on the other side, but that was part of what was making him so giddy. He grinned at the hostess with boyish glee and she just nodded knowingly to him.

"Enjoy yourself," he heard her say as he ventured through the curtain.

Sirius turned a corner and barely had a moment to take in his surroundings before a young wizard in black ushered him to a small table. The wizard asked if he would care for refreshment and Sirius got the distinct impression that whatever food or beverage he requested would be provided.

"The best firewhiskey you have that's already open," Sirius replied. It was only after the wizard nodded and left that he wondered if he should've amended his order to something like, the best firewhiskey under twenty galleons. He shrugged and dismissed the thought. He had plenty of money and it would be interesting to see what they had at this particular establishment. It would be another piece of data to help him understand this mystery place.

Sirius turned his attention to the room and the stage. A heavy emerald velvet curtain covered the stage, which seemed like it was a good size for the room. Sirius focused on the other patrons for a moment.

Tables ranged in size, seating single wizards, couples, and large groups. He wasn't the only wizard there alone, but most people brought company. There were more witches there than he'd anticipated, but that was likely because he hadn't expected any. A number of the patrons were relatively young, about Harry's age he guessed, and those were the larger groups. Sirius grinned to himself thinking what he and his follow Marauders would've made of a place like this in their youth, quickly deciding it was probably better that they'd never been to a gentleman's club. Overall, it was a good mix of magical folks. The common thread throughout the audience was the clear presence of money, old and new. Sirius had a talent for recognizing designer robes and real jewels. There was not a single knock-off garment or glass 'diamond' in the room.

"Our best whisky," an amused female voice said as she slid the glass in front of him.

"Ginny Weasley!" Sirius could not have been more surprised. He stood and hugged the redhead tightly. "It's been so long! Let me look at you!"

Sirius took a step back and Ginny beamed at him. He'd seen her last year and she looked generally the same, cute and fit. Her long red hair now had noticeable streaks of gold, but the biggest change was her clothing.

"I don't think I've seen you in a dress more than a handful of times," Sirius laughed. "You look stunning!"

Ginny blushed and motioned for him to sit, joining him at the other seat at his table.

"It's nice to swap jeans and trainers or Quidditch gear for a dress once in a while," she smiled. The black cocktail dress with the flared crinoline skirt managed to look sweet and sophisticated, or so Sirius thought.

Sirius nodded in agreement and sipped his fire whiskey.

"Damn," he muttered, looking down at his glass. This drink was exceptional; one of the best he'd ever had. There was no way it was going to be cheap. "This is good."

"It better be at thirty five galleons a glass," Ginny laughed. Sirius almost choked on the precious liquid. "Next time don't order the best unless you're prepared for the consequences."

"It is good," Sirius grinned, "But maybe only for special occasions in the future."

"It's on the house," she replied easily. Sirius arched his brow in question. "I work here."

Sirius blanched slightly as he looked between the covered stage and the baby daughter of some of his oldest friends. He didn't know if he would be able to stay for the show.

"Not on stage, Sirius!" Ginny laughed, swatting him on the arm. "I assist with talent scouting and am the primary choreographer for the club."

Sirius felt relieved. All that was fine with him and he very much wanted to see the show, so much so that he considered watching his friends' daughter in a state of undress.

"I thought you worked for the Hollyhead Harpies," Sirius said, sipping his drink. Ginny didn't write him often, but Harry wrote very newsy letters on a regular basis.

"Oh I still do," Ginny explained. "During the off season, there isn't too much to do and my assistant coach job is really just part time even in season. I have time for both really."

"I'm surprised no one mentioned this in letters." Sirius was fishing. Did everyone know of her job?

"The club has only been open for a bit over six months and Mum hasn't decided how she feels about it yet. She won't let any of the boys come until she decides if this is demeaning or empowering for the ladies in the show," Ginny said, rolling her eyes a bit.

"I'm going to vote for empowering!" Sirius smiled, raising his glass and making Ginny laugh aloud.

"Besides, no one in my family has the cash for this place," Ginny smirked.

"Tell me about this place, would you?" Sirius all but demanded. He was curious when his acquaintance had given him the key, and the curiosity increased for every moment he'd been inside. From the hostess, who didn't fall for an ounce of his considerable charm, to the best fire whiskey he'd ever had, to the young witch sitting next to him, this place was nothing he was used to.

"The Emerald Cabaret opened earlier this year and is wizarding Britain's premier establishment for adult entertainment." Ginny looked proud as she gave her spiel, which made Sirius smile. He already knew he'd tell her it was great even if it were shite. "We are part burlesque, part gentlemen's club, and part variety show. It'll start in five minutes. I'll let you see the acts for yourself, so you can be surprised. We have shows Friday and Saturday nights each month, but we're thinking about adding some special shows around holidays."

"You don't charge an entrance fee?"

"Oh no," Ginny shook her head. "This is a member's only establishment. Members pay a monthly fee or can pay for the entire year at a five percent reduction. Members get their own key, four guest passes per month, and three guest keys to give out to others. As you know, the guest key will get you in the door but you still need to be approved by management. If the person you gave a key to goes on to become a member, you get fifty percent off of your dues for the next month."

"Ah," Sirius said, understanding why an acquaintance had given him a key. "That's cunning. What are the monthly membership dues?"

Ginny's grin turned absolutely devilish.

"Just a measly hundred galleons a month."

Sirius nearly choked on his drink again. A hundred galleons was expensive and a hundred a month for a year was more than a top of the line broom. It was five hundred pounds a month in Muggle money! All for some naked ladies dancing?

"That is steep, Gin!"

"People seem to think it's worth it," she smirked, gesturing at the full room. The low lights dimmed even further and a spotlight shone on the stage. "We're about to begin. I may have to be up and down a bit, but you can't leave until you tell me what you think about the show. And I want your honest opinion, Sirius!"

Sirius watched Ginny for a moment, practically bouncing in her seat. The fact that the young witch was so proud of her work made his heart swell a bit. Her generation had gone through so much and deserved ever ounce of positive feeling they could get their hands on. He was almost distracted from the beginning of the show. Almost.

 _** Right Round by Flo Rida**_

A thumping fast paced bass filled the room. As the singer said, " _you spin me right round, baby right round_ ," the heavy curtain parted. There were two staircases coming down from the sides to rear center stage. Behind where the steps ended was a platform with a pole on it. There were two more poles near the front of the stage, one on each side. As a female singer repeated the lyrics, four women began descending the stairs, two on each side. They were scantily clad in nearly sheer, sparkling green mini dresses and all wore astonishingly high silver heels. They all wore the same chin-length blonde bob that Sirius assumed was charmed to make them look uniform. Their steps were perfectly in sync and they created a line in the center of the stage, rhythmically moving to the song.

Sirius had to admit the dancing was very good. The song was so fast paced that they moved quickly and he didn't want to look away, for fear he'd miss it. His mind briefly acknowledged that Ginny was the one responsible for the moves, but chose instead to focus on the ladies on a stage bending and twisting in delightful ways that showed off their long legs, round bums, and full cleavage. All of a sudden the singer said, " _from the top of the pole, I watch her go down,_ " and three very scantily clad witches twisted down the poles on stage. It was very impressive the way they spun and bent, each in an emerald green string bikini. Shortly after the pole dancers appeared, the other four on stage each untied a ribbon that caused their mini dresses to pool at their feet; leaving them in green satin bras and g-strings. Sirius loved it. He chuckled when the singer said something about spending money out of control; this was certainly the place for it. All seven ladies on stage lost their tops and Sirius began to think this place may be worth the membership fee.

When the song ended, the crowd cheered and Sirius was certainly among them. Another song, an instrumental came on and the seven witches came down off the stage and fanned out into the crowd. All they wore were those heels and g-strings at this point. None of them appeared to be self-conscious as they smiled and worked their way through the crowd, running hands over some patrons, flirting and giving little kisses on cheeks or foreheads. One with particularly pert breasts stopped near him, winked, and said, "Welcome."

Sirius grinned and winked back. It would've been rude not to. He was watching the pert witch go, so he missed the wizard coming on stage.

"Welcome to Emerald," the dashing wizard told the crowd, a charm clearly amplifying his voice. The velvet curtain was again closed, but he stood in front of it. "Do not worry ladies and gentleman, the lovely witches of Emerald will return to entertain us. As always, I am your host for the evening, Blaise Zabini. I can assure you that we have an outstanding lineup this evening, everything your beautiful hearts can desire as well as some other body parts I'm sure. Your enjoyment and entertainment are our priority here at Emerald."

The next act was Sammy, the Amazing Magical Squib, which was actually very entertaining. Ginny explained that Sammy used 'magic' tricks he'd learned from Muggles. The bloke was funny and Sirius really had no idea how he did those tricks. He wasn't the only one either. The crowd was enthralled when he seemed to cut the lovely topless witch in half and then put her back together.

After Sammy was an impressive pair of contortionists. The fact that they were attractive and scantily clad was a delightful bonus. Zabini came out between each act, talking and making jokes. He kept it classy, but a little lewd. Sirius appreciated the combination.

Zabini announced that it was the birthday of one of their first members, Lucius Malfoy, and that the next number was dedicated to him. Sirius spied the platinum blond at a table close to the stage and wondered why he hadn't noticed the distinctive wizard before. Sirius just shrugged and went back to his drink, which wasn't quite as good as his first drink, but was half the price and still excellent. The Malfoy family did a lot to reform and rebuild after the war. Sirius would never begrudge people second chances and didn't mind being in the same room as the man, but he was not going to be friends with him.

 _**Cherry Pie by Warrant**_

The curtain opened on the seven Emerald witches who started the evening. This time they wore long candy red pony tails and had on little white dresses covered in a cherry pattern. A bloke singing " _she's my cherry pie"_ about a girl played and Sirius wondered about what were clearly Muggle songs. He really only thought about it for a second, because he was distracted by the dancing, the dresses coming off, the bright red satin lingerie, and then eventually the wonderful nudity. Again, Sirius had to appreciate the dance moves these witches executed so well. At the end of the performance, they again made their way through the crowd, but this time they each stopped at Malfoy's table to plant bright red lipstick kisses on the wizard. Sirius couldn't help but laugh at the generally austere wizard covered in lipstick. Malfoy turned slightly to speak to his friend, who Sirius believed was a Pucey. From that angle it almost looked as though the notoriously unflappable Malfoy was blushing, which made Sirius laugh harder.

Ginny had gone off one and a half acts ago, but now rejoined him and demanded his opinion thus far.

"The dancing is great, Gin," Sirius honestly told the young witch. She smiled at the compliment. "All the acts so far have been great. It's sexy, fun, and exciting."

Sirius didn't know if a membership was worth the money though. It was a lot. Zabini was back on stage talking about how great the ladies had just been.

"Next, what you've all been waiting for," Zabini continued on. Sirius perked up. Hadn't they all been watching what they'd come for? "The one, the only, Siren!"

The crowd erupted into applause. There were several shouts of excitement as well. The audience had been responsive, laughing and applauding, all along; but now they seemed particularly keyed up.

"Siren?" Sirius asked Ginny.

"You'll see," Ginny grinned. "I can tell you though; most people are on the fence about the membership fee up to this point."

Sirius wondered if Ginny was reading his mind. He just nodded in agreement. An anticipatory hush fell over the crowd. It was like they were holding their collective breath, raptly staring at the stage. Sirius had to turn and look with them. The curtain was parting.

"They always decide it's worth it after they see her," Ginny whispered in his ear.

The stage was dark. It had been reconfigured to have one set of stairs leading down to the center stage. A spotlight swept up the steps and Sirius saw a woman standing at the top, now the only thing illuminated on the dark stage. The audience broke out into applause. Sirius felt transfixed and decided to blame part of that on the showmanship and drama of the moment. He had to admit, drama aside, the woman was stunning with a classic hour-glass figure. The first thing he noticed was that she wore a black leather half mask. It covered the top half of her face and seemed to make her plump, dark red lips more prominent. Long dark hair cascaded smoothly over her shoulders, the nearly black hair changing to a bright candy red at the ends. Her strapless dress was black, sequined, and sheer. It was tight on top and then draped down to the floor. The way the light hit her, Sirius managed to make out that her strapless bra and very brief pants were the same candy red. The impossibly high heels she wore matched that red as well.

"Thank you so much," the witch murmured, her voice silky and low. "This song is one of my favorites. I do hope you like it."

Sirius felt he'd heard her voice before, but was sure he would've remembered meeting this creature. Music filled the room and she swayed gently. She closed her eyes and Sirius could hear her hum softly. He felt like he was watching a private moment and found himself leaning forward slightly.

 _**I Put a Spell On You by Nina Simone**_

"I put a spell on you," the witch sang, stepping down one step. She revealed long slits in the sides of the dress, going all the way up to her hips and flashing the red of her knickers at the very top. Her legs were encased in black net stockings that went up to her mid-thigh. "And now you're mine."

Her voice was silken and seemed to wrap around him. Sirius understood why she was called Siren. Her seductive voice called to him.

"You better stop the things that you do, now," she continued. "I ain't lyin."

Siren moved with a liquid grace down the steps, her movements entirely in tune with the slow, rolling melody of the song. Her shapely legs peeked out with each step, teasing him. Her dress highlighted generous cleavage as well. Sirius didn't know where to look. He got unreasonably excited when he realized that she wasn't stopping when she got to the main stage. Siren was continuing down off the low stage and into the audience. The spotlight trained on her, moved with her into the crowd.

"You know I can't stand it," she sang, approaching a table. Sirius wondered how early he would have to arrive to claim one of those front spots. The two wizards in front of her appeared ecstatic when she reached out her hands to caress their faces. "You're runnin' around."

Siren continued on and stopped in front of Lucius Malfoy. She seemed to smirk at the blond, and then raised her foot. The shining red stiletto rested right on the edge of his chair, between his slightly parted legs. Her whole stocking-clad leg was exposed, all the way to the top.

"You know better, daddy," she seemed to tease. "I can't stand it 'cause you put me down."

Sirius was torn between being amused at the flustered, lustful look on Malfoy's face and being jealous of the aristocrat's near contact with the mysterious singer. Siren moved on, continuing to sing her song. Sirius slid his eyes back in time to see Malfoy let out the breath he was holding when the singer was near him.

Siren ran her fingers over an older wizard's arm, and then went on to stroke the neck of a witch at another table. She moved hypnotically around the space as if she owned it. She seemed confident that every eye was on her, focused on her as she sang. She leaned into the table where the large group of young wizards sat, favoring them with an enviable view down the front of her dress. Sirius saw her lick her luscious red lips, mesmerizing the wizards. They just stared; slack jawed as she helped herself to a drink from their table. None of them moved as she drank the amber liquid. Sirius idly wondered if it was the same expensive firewhiskey he'd initially ordered. The wizards she took it from just looked thrilled that she favored them with her presence. Sirius didn't blame them in the least.

Slowly, she worked her way back to the stage and sang the end of the song. Her voice filled the room as she belted out the last few lines of the song. As the music faded out, she looked to the audience and blew a kiss. Then the spotlight went dark. After a moment, some lights came back on the stage, but she was gone. The room was riotous with cheers and shouts.

"Who was that?"Sirius asked aloud, still staring at the stage. He turned to Ginny, smirking next to him and repeated this question. "Who _was_ that?"

"She's pretty great, isn't she?"

"Obviously," Sirius responded, taking a long pull on his drink. He hadn't drunk anything during that song. "You didn't answer my question."

"The Emerald Cabaret respects Siren's desire for privacy," Ginny just said, sounding as if she'd said that same line a hundred times. Sirius imagined she may have.

"Is she really a siren?" Sirius pressed. It was hard to tell if she was using magic during that performance. He felt entranced, but his mind didn't have the fuzziness that would've been present after a spell that would bewitch him in that way. "Did she really put a spell on us, like she sang?"

Ginny just laughed and shook her head.

"Siren, ladies and gentlemen!" Zabini waltzed back on stage, still smiling brightly. The crowd continued to cheer. "I can tell you that Siren will be performing a second time this evening to close out the show. The night is still young my friends. On with the show!"

The well-muscled, shirtless wizard came out next and juggled a variety of objects, including blue bell flames that he'd conjured. Sirius felt that was impressive. He was followed by a statuesque witch in a silver sequined sleeveless jumpsuit. The witch was tall, a bit over two meters Sirius guessed. She was joined on stage by a lovely assistant, who was of course barely clothed. The assistant stood against a moveable wall that was put up for this performance and the witch threw knives toward her. Each knife landed within a finger-width of the witch. It was all very dramatic. She brought out a bow and arrow, and then proceeded to shoot items off the assistant's head, out of her hands, and even between her knees. Sirius loved it! So many witches and wizards relied on magic and had awful hand-eye coordination without it.

Sirius' drink was replenished efficiently during the performances and he noted that service to everyone was both unobtrusive and impeccable. He even liked Zabini's prattle in between each of the acts. He joked, teased the crowd, and flattered them all. Sirius was having a good time and was a bit eager to see Siren again, if he were being honest. Her performance was so dramatic and he wanted to find out if she would be just as enthralling a second time, or if it had been the novelty of the mystery singer that was most interesting.

 _** Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard **_

When the curtain parted again, the three poles were back on the stage, one in center stage and the other two forward on the stage, but to each side. A song began and the singer issued an invitation to " _pour some sugar on me_ ," as three witches stepped out onto stage. They were all dressed in satin silver shorts as well as tight green tops. Sirius immensely enjoyed watching them dance around the poles and remove those items of clothing, leaving them just in silver g-strings. When the three witches began to move up the poles and spin around, Sirius appreciated their athleticism. He doubted he could've done what they did if he practiced for a month!

After that rousing performance, it seemed it was finally time to see her again. Zabini came out and chatted a bit in front of the curtain, thanking everyone for coming.

When the curtain parted again, the stage was entirely dark. This time the spotlight found her in the very center of the stage. Siren wore the same black half-mask, but her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail high on her head. She was wearing a black leather corset with tiny black knickers. Black stiletto leather boots went up to her mid-thigh. She was standing with her feet shoulder length apart and was twirling a riding crop in her hands. The crowd erupted and Sirius felt she looked like the perfect dominatrix.

"Thank you, darlings," she purred. "I've put together something special in honor of the luscious Lucius for his birthday."

 _** S &M by Rihanna **_

Music filled the room, a voice singing _Na na na na, Come on_ as the lights on the stage expanded. Surrounding Siren were four witches, all bound in various positions by thick black rope that hung from the ceiling. The four witches wore black leather bras and knickers. Siren sauntered around the stage as the music continued, running the riding crop over the witches.

"Feels so good being bad," she began to sing. "There's no way I'm turning back."

Sirius was again enthralled by her as she sang about pain and pleasure, caressing the witches on stage. The other witches were delightful to look at, but they were her props and Sirius found her capturing his attention. He moved a bit forward in his seat when she moved to leave the stage again, as she had in her last song.

"Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it," she sang as she approached Lucius. Siren reached out and ran the riding crop down the side of Malfoy's face to his chin, then pushed it up making him tilt his head. She walked behind him as she sang about sex, chains, and whips. Sirius regretted that his own birthday and had passed months ago. Siren held the whip with both hands behind Malfoy, the center of the crop pressed into his neck and pushing his head back into her lush cleavage. Sirius smirked when the aristocrat's eyes closed in pleasure. He couldn't hear Malfoy groan over the music, but Sirius was sure it happened.

Sirius swore he heard a collective sigh from the crowd when Siren returned to the stage, rather than treating others in the crowd to her attentions. She continued the song on stage, interacting with the trussed witches and dancing so very provocatively. Even though she didn't take off any clothing, Sirius found her performance more stimulating than the witches that had disrobed. He liked them too, of course. Siren, though, she was amazing. Her voice melted like butter around him and she exuded sex. Sirius couldn't remember the last time he's been more turned on.

All too soon, the song was over and the curtain closed. Sirius knew he would be dedicating some time to finding out the identity of this mystery witch. He had to meet her, to find this captivating witch. He looked over to Ginny and favored her with this best, most charming smile. He could make his young friend give him information, he was sure.

Next: Hermione!


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Harry Potter or his universe. That belongs to JK Rowling.

Thanks to bunnyhops for the awesome beta! And thanks for the lovely comments so far. :-)

Now: Hermione's POV

Chapter Two

Hermione plopped down into her chair in her small office in the back of her shop, balancing a fresh cup of tea, her notebook, a pile of parchment, and a handful of quills.

"There's that sexy siren now," she heard a voice say from her open door. Hermione was startled and sloshed her tea onto her shirt.

"Oh, right, so sexy," Hermione responded, rolling her eyes at Ginny Weasley and Astoria Greengrass while trying to blot spilled tea. Her unruly hair fell into her face and she pushed it aside. She found a stray quill tucked behind her ear and chuckled. No one seeing her at that moment would call her sexy. "I need to put a bell on the backroom door like I have on the front door. Then you couldn't startle me all the time."

The cute redhead and chic blonde just smiled at their friend's grumbling, knowing full well that Hermione loved having them around.

"Busy morning already?" Astoria asked, noting the pile of parchment taking up most of the desk space.

Hermione nodded happily. She and Ginny became friends with Astoria Greengrass about a year and a half ago. Hermione still loved Ron and Harry, but she wondered why she hadn't sought out more female friends back in her schooldays. There were some things that only other ladies understood.

"New inventory for the upcoming school year," Hermione explained. "I've unpacked and checked it already, now I have to enter it into my record system before I shelve it all."

Hermione had opened Know-It-All Books in Diagon Alley a bit over two years ago. She loved being surrounded by books. Ginny had suggested adding a small cafe in the shop's upstairs balcony area. Then Astoria had the wonderful idea to cater the shop to more Muggleborns or anyone interested in Muggle things. Hermione had a large selection of Muggle books and magazines. The thing that really set her apart was that Hermione figured out how to install wireless internet in the store. So many younger witches and wizards brought their laptops and tablets to her cafe to use the Internet. She had four computers set up in a nook on the main floor that people could use for a small fee as well. Once a month, Hermione even taught basic workshops on how to use Muggle technology.

"We won't bother you too much then," Ginny told her, pulling a bright orange laptop out of her bag. "Tori is going to help me research some new songs for the club. I don't know how I lived before YouTube. Is Justin upstairs? He told me he knew some songs I may be interested in."

"As always," Hermione replied. Her store was doing well enough to hire two full time employees and a part time one as well. Justin Finch-Fletchly ran the cafe upstairs, creating a warm and inviting place. Her fellow Muggle-born had a talent for cooking, made a perfect cup of tea, and provided invaluable tech support. Mandy Brocklehurst was Hermione's right-hand woman downstairs. She loved books as much as Hermione did and was quick with recommendations for customers. Hesita Carrow worked part-time manning the register or shelving books while she also worked on getting her Mastery in Potions.

"Before we leave you to your work, you need to decide what to do with your gifts," Astoria told her smirking.

Hermione grinned, a bit self-satisfied actually. Not many people knew she could sing and only a very few knew that she was the mysterious Siren of Emerald Cabaret. It had been so difficult after the war. She'd spent so much time fighting, and then was immersed in the post-war reconstruction. Opening her shop had been exciting and thrilling, but then it was just regular life. Hermione hadn't experienced regular life since she was a child. There was no bad guy to fight, no adventures to go on. Frankly, she was uncomfortable with the quiet. She missed the adrenaline; not all the time, but often enough. Harry and Ron enrolled in Auror training and went on to have jobs that provided them with regular doses of action.

Hermione started going out in Muggle London, dancing at clubs and singing at open mic nights. She felt high for days the first time she got up and sang in front of an audience. Ginny found out and started tagging along. They danced until dawn a few weekends for months and became a bit obsessed with Muggle music. They two witches actually took classes in striptease and pole dancing in Muggle London. That led to them frequenting burlesque shows. It was thrilling. And it was at one of those shows about eighteen months ago that they ran into Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy. The two wizards shared that they were looking to open a club and a natural partnership formed.

"What do we have then?" Hermione asked, feigning annoyance. Her friends knew she liked the adoration, especially since she got to remain anonymous and didn't have to deal with it on a regular basis. It was all on her terms, she was in control. Hermione could get the rush that came from performing and enticing, but had a regular life to return to when she wanted. She found having an alter ego incredibly satisfying.

"This week sets a new record," Astoria reported. Fans of Siren began to send notes and gifts shortly after Hermione's first performance. All of these went to the club of course, where Astoria worked as well. Most people just thought she was the hostess that guarded the entrance, but she had part ownership along with Draco, Blaise, Ginny, and Hermione. "A dozen letters were delivered, seven floral arrangements of varying taste levels, and four packages."

"Taste levels?" Hermione asked, laughing. Astoria put a large envelope on the desk that Hermione knew contained all the letters and notes from the flowers. She would look at them later when she went home. Hermione tried to keep the two parts of her life somewhat separate.

"One of the arrangements is positively gaudy," Astoria sneered. "I didn't have the heart to send it over to St. Mungo's with the others. Those ill people shouldn't have to put up with such an ugly sight. Some people don't understand that bigger and flashier doesn't mean it will be better."

"Says the witch with the rock on her finger that could cause a sprained wrist at any point," laughed Ginny. She and Hermione often teased the classy witch about the enormous engagement ring that Draco gave her a year ago.

"I put the ugly flowers in Draco's office," Astoria smiled evilly. "He'll hate it."

"So flowers sent to St. Mungo's as usual," Hermione said, getting them back on track. She loved that Draco's fiancée teased him and Hermione always had suggestions on how to annoy her former nemesis, but she really did have work to do and couldn't indulge in making Draco miserable. "Packages?"

"One very delightful box of French truffles, scanned for safety and cleared," Astoria reported, removing them from her bag and placing them on the desk. Ginny opened them up and popped one in her mouth. The box of chocolates was joined by three more boxes of varying sizes. "A quaint diamond bracelet, a lovely set of black pearls, and a charming Emerald comb for your hair. That one is my favorite. The comb would look great with your green dress."

"You know I can't keep these," Hermione admonished, not for the first time. She never kept anything that cost too much. Sweets and flowers, she didn't send back. She'd received perfumes and lotions, some of which she kept. A few had sent lingerie and one person an incredibly sexy pair of heels. The underclothes definitely got returned, but the shoes were too good to pass up and were incorporated into her stage wear. Jewelry was too much to accept.

"I don't see why not," Astoria shrugged. "It's not as if you asked for gifts or implied that anyone would ever get anything in return if they sent you things."

"Noted," Hermione said, setting the jewelry aside to return later. While House affiliation wasn't nearly the dividing factor it had been in the past, Slytherins just seemed to think about things differently than Gryffindors. Maybe it wasn't a House issue though, as Ginny often seemed torn and went between agreeing with Hermione to saying that she could see Astoria's point.

"Then let me keep the comb," Astoria pouted, "to make up for all the trouble you've caused me."

"What trouble is that?" Hermione asked. They both knew Hermione would send the jewelry back, as always.

"Lucius' little obsession with you obviously intensified after that performance you gave," Astoria huffed. Her eyes twinkled though and Hermione knew she wasn't really upset. In fact, the three witches were endlessly amused that Lucius Malfoy was such a fan of Siren's, given her real identity. Lucius and Narcissa split shortly after the war. After a suitable waiting period, both Malfoys embarked upon healthy and prolific social lives. The idea of Lucius wanting to date Hermione was laughable though. "He's been pestering Draco even more to try to get information about you."

"I only did what Draco asked," Hermione said, smiling. "He wanted me to dedicate a song to Lucius for his birthday and I did."

"I don't think he counted on the leather and whips," Ginny put in, laughing. "Draco really should've come to rehearsal like I had suggested."

"Draco's been going on and on about how he didn't need to know just how much his father fancies bondage," Astoria told them, not bothering to pretend to be irritated. All the witches were giggling now.

"If anyone should get a gift for their troubles, it's me," Ginny shared, taking another chocolate. "Sirius has been very persistent trying to get information about you."

"Sirius? Really?" Hermione asked, a bit surprised and disappointed.

"Like a dog with a bone," Ginny reported, shaking her head and chuckling at her own joke about Sirius' Animagus form. "But don't worry! I am a vault. He won't hear it from me. If you want to tell him, then that will be your choice."

"Thanks, Gin," Hermione said, her smile a bit forced now. "Thanks, Tori. I'll see you guys later."

The other two witches left the room and Hermione went back to work. It wasn't difficult to enter the new shipments of books into the inventory software she had, just typing titles and the number of copies. The rote task only required half of her concentration, which was good because she found herself thinking of Sirius.

Hermione was very fond of Sirius. To be honest she had a bit of a crush, really. Sirius was dashing, fun, and so devilishly handsome. He was also smart, funny, and kind. It was really bothering her that he liked Siren so much and she tried to figure out why. It took a few minutes of self-reflection, sorting through her feelings before Hermione realized she was jealous as well as disappointed.

Hermione shook her head at herself. It felt a bit strange being jealous of, well herself really, but that was certainly part of it. Hermione didn't see herself as Siren. It was more that she was playing a role when she performed as Siren. She would put on a mask, charm her distinctive hair to look however she wished, and slip into some outrageously delicious outfit to become this other person.

Siren was confident and sexy. She was brash, unapologetic, and mysterious. Hermione wasn't those things. If someone asked Hermione if she thought she was confident, she would say yes. Hermione had plenty of confidence in her intellect, in her magic, in her abilities to do nearly anything she set her mind to. And Hermione knew she was attractive. She felt she was pretty good in bed too. But Siren oozed sexual confidence that Hermione didn't have. As Siren, Hermione could do things she would never have the guts to do in real life. That was a big part of the show. Of course that was the kind of witch Sirius liked.

All wizards liked Siren, which was why Hermione felt disappointed in Sirius for being just like them. Part of her thought he was better than that. Hermione made Siren to be a fantasy that every wizard would want, so it wasn't really fair to be disappointed when Sirius wanted that fantasy too. But Siren wasn't real. The charm to change her hair faded after a few hours. The clothes were great for performances, but not practical for anyone to wear for very long. It was all flash, and no substance. Hermione felt that Siren was one dimensional, just a sultry sex kitten. No one could be that confident and mysterious; it wasn't human. Real people had self doubt and uncomfortable feelings sometimes. Real people didn't wake up perfectly coiffed, they had flaws. Real people lazed around in comfortable clothes on weekends and sometimes forgot to keep up with their laundry because they had lives to lead.

Plenty of wizards wanted Siren, wanted the fantasy. Hermione had the fan letters to prove it. The letters asked for dates and promised her the world. Many were salacious and she actually enjoyed some of those, when the erotica was well written that is. None of the letters asked her who she was, asked about family or interests. Wizards wanted to possess Siren, to have her or to be had by her. Wizards like Lucius Malfoy just wanted the fantasy. That was the kind of wizard who would be happy with a sex kitten to bed, to have as arm candy. He wouldn't care much what she thought about things, wouldn't listen to her concerns and doubts. Was Sirius really one of those wizards too? That idea made Hermione incredibly sad.

Hermione was still in a bit of a mood when she got home to her flat that evening, but she knew she had to shake it off, because she had company arriving in about a half hour. She looked around her lounge. It wasn't too large, but it was generally tidy. Hermione had the top flat in an old Victorian house that had been converted into four units. She'd loved the place as soon as she'd seen it. It had so much character, with large windows, architectural flourishes, and a giant claw-foot tub in the cozy bath. The kitchen was a bit small, but Hermione didn't cook much and it was enough for her needs. The number of built in bookcases around the apartment and window seat in the bedroom more than made up for the small kitchen.

Hermione tossed the large envelope from the club onto her counter and started putting together tea. There wasn't enough time to read fan mail, but she would do it later that night. While the kettle heated, Hermione assembled a tray with cups and picked up the few stray items sitting about. The tea was on her tea tray, having steeped nicely, when her Floo came to life. Hermione smirked when Blaise sauntered out. He was always smooth and suave. It was no wonder Ginny was so smitten with him.

"Hello gorgeous," Blaise said with a grin and a kiss on the cheek. "Am I the first to arrive?"

"Yes, you are very unfashionably on time." Hermione smiled at her friend.

"But I've arrived before Molly!" Blaise gloated, making Hermione laugh aloud. Blaise and Ginny had been dating for nearly a year and it was clear that the Weasley matriarch didn't exactly know what to think about the match. Blaise stuck out at the Burrow like a wealthy, polished sore thumb. He never sneered or looked down on the raucous family; but was all charm and delight.

Hermione knew that Molly was worried that Blaise would break her daughter's heart eventually, but that wasn't giving either party much credit. Blaise could sense Molly's hesitance around him and set about courting her good opinion. He never arrived late for anything that involved Molly.

"It's not like her to be even a little late," Hermione observed as she motioned for Blaise to sit down. The three of them set up this little secret meeting to plan Ginny's surprise birthday party weeks ago. "I wonder what is keeping her."

The pair didn't have a chance to wonder long because the Floo activated almost instantly after Hermione made her statement. Two figures emerged, however, instead of the one they were expecting.

"Sirius!" Hermione exclaimed, surprised to see the man she had been thinking of for most of that afternoon.

"'Mione!" Sirius favored her with that radiant smile of his and swept her up into a hug. "I hope you don't mind me tagging along with Molly. I love a party and it has been entirely too long since I've seen my favorite girl."

"Favorite, huh?" Hermione said, rolling her eyes. She did find herself blushing a bit though.

Sirius always took her breath away a bit, ever since he returned from the Veil. He was an incredibly handsome wizard.

"The only witch I never tire of seeing," Sirius affirmed, kissing her cheek before setting her back on her feet.

Hermione laughed nervously. Part of her wondered if Sirius would recognize her, if he would be the one to put two and two together and reveal her secret. A girlish romantic notion flitted through her mind. She imagined that he would look past her bushy hair and comfortable clothes; that he would see the vixen within and love her for it. Hermione looked at him expectantly for a moment. That did not happen of course.

"Here to help with party planning then?" Blaise asked, extending his hand to the other wizard. Sirius nodded as they shook hands.

"He was over at the Burrow, catching up, and I told him where I was off to," Molly chimed in. The Weasley matriarch pulled a covered plate of homemade biscuits out of her bag and set them with Hermione's tea.

"The more the merrier of course," Blaise nodded, resuming his seat.

Hermione gestured for them all to sit and set about pouring tea while the others got to business. She took the moment to soothe her nerves a bit, reminding herself that Siren would never be so flustered by a wizard. Regardless, Hermione felt hypersensitive to Sirius' nonchalant figure sprawled out on her sofa. Since Blaise and Molly were in her arm chairs, her only option was to share with Sirius, who seemed perfectly happy to drape his arm over her and pull her into him.

Sirius has always been a cuddly friend, free with the hugs and little respect for personal boundaries.

Ginny's birthday fell on a Friday that year and they had less than two weeks to finalize the party. Blaise wanted to pay for everything, of course, and Molly wasn't entirely comfortable spending his money. Hermione's main job was to mediate between the two and make sure the end result was something Ginny would actually like.

"The club is ideal," Blaise argued, albeit very gently. "There is plenty of space. We will be closed down that night regardless, so that everyone can attend the party. I'm just afraid space at the Burrow will be a bit tight."

"Everyone from the club is coming to the party?" Sirius piped up, sitting up a bit straighter and jostling Hermione so she spilled tea on her shirt. At least he had the good grace to look a bit sheepish and reach for a napkin. "Sorry, love."

"Well of course everyone from the club is invited," Hermione huffed, dabbing at her shirt to dry spilled tea for the second time that day. "I don't know if everyone is coming, most are though."

"What about Grimmauld Place?" Sirius offered. Hermione's eyes narrowed and she appraised the wizard next to her. "It's bigger than the Burrow, but still has a homey feel."

"That would be a nice compromise," Blaise responded, looking to Molly, who was nodding in agreement.

"Why?" Hermione asked Sirius, her voice laced with suspicion. She knew she was coming across as a bit hostile, but couldn't help herself.

"You know I love parties," Sirius said, smiling his most charming smile and ignoring her attitude. Hermione's heart may have skipped just a tiny beat. His eyes seemed to twinkle as he gave her a wink. "Besides, if I get to meet all those wonderful performers I saw the other night, that makes it more than worth it."

Hermione felt the jealousy and disappointment that had been stewing all afternoon flare into an angry mix of emotion. This gorgeous man next to her wasn't even registering her presence as a woman, he was preoccupied with a fantasy; a fantasy she created no less. His eyes never twinkled for her. Hermione bet Sirius never actually thought of her as a sexual person!

"It's a lot of people, not just the performers from the club," Hermione bit out, her tone a little caustic. "There will be old school friends and nearly all the Hollyhead Harpies. Plus, you'll have Draco Malfoy in your house."

"There's plenty of room," Sirius said happily. He seemed to notice that Hermione was acting strangely and began rubbing her shoulders. It felt wonderful. She grit her teeth through the physical contact that she wanted, but also caused her anger to rise slightly. "Besides, Draco is family! Remember? He's my second cousin once removed, or something like that."

"There are about eighty people invited," Molly told Sirius. It sounded like she wanted to make sure Sirius knew what he was getting into. "And some of them will bring dates, so we were planning for a hundred."

"Sounds like it will be great," Sirius responded, still grinning. "Do you have a spare copy of the guest list that I could see?"

Hermione breathed deeply as she fought the urge to dig her nails into his muscular thigh next to her. She knew exactly what Sirius was up to. He hadn't discovered Siren's identity by badgering Ginny, so he thought he would find her this way.

"It isn't quite finalized yet," Blaise reported, a bit apologetically. "I can get you what I have though. We don't know who is bringing a date just yet, only some. Harry is bringing Ollie of course, but Ron hasn't decided."

Conversation turned to chatter about that status of relationships within their circle of friends. Harry had been dating Oliver Wood for about six months and it has been going very well. Last month, however, Ron had just split from Lavender after two and a half years together. Hermione didn't contribute much to the conversation, as Sirius had gone from rubbing her shoulders to idly twirling one of her curls.

The night couldn't end soon enough for Hermione. Finally, they were saying their goodbyes. Blaise went home, followed by Molly. Sirius, however, lingered.

"Need help with this?" he asked, gesturing to the empty tea cups and partly empty biscuit plate.

"No, it's not much at all," Hermione assured him, eager for him to go.

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked, stepping close and rubbing her arms. "You seem a bit…annoyed."

"It was a long day at the shop," Hermione said a little too quickly. "I got all the school books in today."

"Don't work too hard," Sirius chided, enveloping her into a hug. Hermione was stiff for a moment, but gave in; she had to. He was warm, strong, and smelled delicious. Hermione pressed her face into his shirt and sighed. "I meant what I said. You are my favorite girl and you need to take care of yourself."

Hermione just nodded against him and Sirius gave her one last squeeze before he finally headed home. Cleaning up only took a moment and it wasn't long before Hermione was climbing into bed. She leaned back into her pillows and opened the large envelope Astoria had brought her that day. Letters and note cards spilled onto her blanket. Hermione smiled. She loved performing and did relish the reaction that Siren got. Hermione decided to forget about Sirius and the feelings he stirred up that day, at least for a while.

The letters and notes were not generally unusual. She recognized some, as they had written before; but there were an equal amount of new admirers. Three were from influential members of the Wizengamot and she happened to know that one of those wizards was very much married. A nice middle aged wizard named Ephraim sent very graphic, but very well written sexual situations that Hermione always took the time to read. He very much wanted her take him as a sexual servant. Hermione didn't think she had it in her to be anyone's Mistress, but it was fun to fantasize. A young wizard, Ben, wanted to possess her and worship her. His writing wasn't quite as good and he sometimes said odd things, like wanting to breathe her breath, so Hermione just skimmed his letters most of the time.

One of the letters was from Lucius Malfoy, which was a bit surprising. She knew he was a fan because of how he pestered Draco, but he'd never written before. It was a very simple note, thanking her for the song she sang for his birthday, praising her for her skillful handling of a riding crop, and offering her a demonstration of his own proficiency with whips at any time she wished. Hermione giggled quite a bit and was tempted to share his note with Ginny and Astoria. It must have taken some courage to put the invitation out and Hermione couldn't open him up to mocking for it. Instead, she put it with the others, deciding to respect his privacy. It went into the scarlet red box that slid under her bed, along with the rest.

Hermione fell to sleep thinking about the songs she wanted to sing the next weekend. Her fan mail had distracted her from Sirius. She'd spent enough hours that day thinking about that particular wizard. Despite her firm resolution to put him from her mind, Hermione did dream of a dashing, dark haired wizard with a charming grin who did unspeakably glorious things to her body. In the morning Hermione told herself that could have been anyone in the dream and she almost believed herself.

Next: Back to Sirius!


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to all those who are reading, especially those reviewing! And of course, many thanks to bunnyhops for the beta.

If you haven't noticed, there is cover art for this story now! That is entirely thanks to Gryff_inthegame - she is awesome!

I am not JK Rowling and do not own Harry Potter.

Now - We are back to Sirius!

Chapter Three

Sirius approached the dark green door with expectant and urgent purpose. He needed this night. He had been up most of the night before, and not in the way he liked. Sirius had been up _thinking_. He paused outside for a moment and looked up at the dark night sky.

Sirius scoffed at the whole situation for the hundredth time that day. Harry and Ron had brought up a disturbing notion and Sirius had yet to be able to let it go. The previous evening had started out wonderfully. Sirius had invited his favorite trio over for a quiet Friday night dinner, just the four of them. Hermione left first, while the night was still young really, saying something about work. She worked entirely too much. The boys stayed on for a while and drank whiskey. Talk turned to their love lives, _naturally_. Harry was quite happy with Oliver, while Ron was relishing the single life for the first time in a long time. Sirius was envious of the younger wizards, both happy with their situations, and he said as much.

"Well of course you aren't entirely happy being single," Ron had snorted. "Given your crush on Hermione, I can't imagine other witches measure up."

Sirius was stunned. _Crush on Hermione?_ He was speechless.

"When are the two of you going to get together anyway?" Harry asked, his speech slurring slightly as he divided the last of a bottle between the three of them.

When Sirius had recovered from his shock to ask what the bloody hell they were talking about, Ron and Harry just looked at him as if he'd gone mad. They pointed to what they called "clear and convincing evidence." This included Sirius' closeness with the young witch, the high esteem in which he held her, the way he talked to her, and even how he'd been cuddling with her on that very couch not an hour before. Sirius listened to their reasoning as they encouraged each other and talked about his relationship with Hermione as if he wasn't even there. They agreed with each other that Sirius and Hermione would complement each other well. Ron felt that Sirius would help Hermione loosen up while Harry pointed out that Hermione would help ground Sirius. By the end of they were finishing each other's sentences, very much on the same page. Sirius had no response really, not that Harry or Ron seemed to expect one. Instead, he tried to avoid their logic with several more belts of whisky.

Sirius could not get to sleep after Ron and Harry left. He tossed and turned in his bed, thinking about what they had said. It had to have been the whisky talking, Sirius was sure.

He _was_ close to Hermione, she was important to him. He loved her, he knew that; but as a friend, right? He always felt a surge of happiness when he got a letter from her on his travels. It was natural that he held her in esteem and valued her opinion; she was one of his dearest friends. Sirius had to admit that, while he did hug and put his arms around his friends, he didn't cuddle with anyone else. And he didn't call anyone else his favorite girl. So maybe he did have an obvious _preference_ for the young witch. Sirius rationalized that this was natural. Who wouldn't be drawn to Hermione? She was courageous, loyal, kind, and had a razor sharp wit. She also had a lush figure and a natural, uncomplicated sensuousness.

It was around four in the morning when Sirius finally allowed himself to admit that he found Hermione extremely sexy in a way that was not very platonic. He acknowledged that the ladies he had been drawn to for the past year all had some physical trait in common with her. So he was a sucker for a curly haired brunette; that didn't mean anything.

Sirius admonished himself. Hermione was his friend and she would not appreciate being thought of as a sex object, she deserved better than that. She certainly deserved better than him. Sirius was old enough to be her father for Merlin's sake! Despite Harry's earlier words, Sirius couldn't imagine that he would be comfortable seeing Hermione with his own godfather in the sober light of day. If Hermione was like a sister to Harry and Sirius was his dashing uncle type, the two of them together was entirely too incestuous. Sirius decided he needed to stop thinking about Hermione that way. No good would come of it.

The problem was that Sirius couldn't seem to stop. He dreamt of her that night. The dream was glorious and kept popping into his thoughts that day. When Sirius allowed himself the pleasure of remembering his dream, his mind quickly added new elements and fantasies. By nightfall, Sirius felt quite eager to distract himself from his own debauchery and he knew just where to go.

Sirius had bought a membership to the Emerald Cabaret earlier that week, parting with a hefty amount of cash. He could find solace in debauchery that had nothing to do with Hermione Granger. Smiling, Sirius opened the discrete door.

"Good evening, Mr. Black." Astoria greeted him with what appeared to be a genuine smile. "It's so nice to see you again."

Sirius had to chuckle. It was the chic Ms. Greengrass he had met with earlier in the week to obtain his membership. They had filled out paperwork and arranged for payments to the club. The icy blonde hadn't batted an eyelash when Sirius spent an obscene amount of money. Ginny had neglected to mention the one-time membership fee. It was exorbitant, but Sirius wasn't really surprised. He had plenty of money and this seemed to be a good way to spend it.

"Gorgeous as usual, Ms. Greengrass," Sirius responded with his usual flirtatiousness. The best way to put Hermione out of his mind and fantasies was to cast a new witch in that role. The lovely blonde wasn't his type, but it was good practice. Sirius was sure, however, that a certain singer he would see that evening would be perfect for him.

"Have a good time, Mr. Black," Astoria replied. While she appeared amused, she wasn't falling for his charms.

"That's the plan," Sirius said over his shoulder as he went through the emerald velvet curtain.

Staff seated Sirius with smooth efficiency. He ordered a drink and happily noted that he was much closer to the stage than his last visit. Next to his small table for one, Sirius saw a distinctive platinum blond.

"Malfoy." Sirius nodded to the other wizard in greeting as he sat. He was clearly there on his own as well and Sirius felt it would be silly to ignore him. Besides he was here to be distracted. What better way to avoid thinking about Hermione than talking to Lucius Malfoy.

"Black." Lucius returned the greeting, his nod very reserved. "I wasn't aware you were a member of his club."

"Very recently," Sirius replied, relaxing into his seat. "Last week was my first visit actually."

Lucius nodded again and the pair sat silently for a moment, watching the other patrons fill up the club. The server brought Sirius drink and he took a sip.

"Happy birthday, by the way," Sirius finally said. He couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"Yes, well…" Lucius said shifting slightly in his seat. Sirius' chuckled when he saw a very faint blush on the usually austere wizard. It was not something he thought he would ever see. "Thank you."

"You're very popular here," Sirius continued. He couldn't help himself.

"I have been a member since they've opened. Draco is one of the owners."

"Ah, that explains your popularity with the ladies." Sirius laughed. He watched the cool blond closely, not sure if he would accept being teased. Lucius scoffed and rolled his eyes, but did appear a bit amused. "Does Siren sing every night?"

"Since the club has opened, she has performed each night," Lucius reported. "Sometimes she only sings once, but most nights she will do two songs. When she does two, she closes the night."

"Fair to say you're a fan then."

"Siren is very popular." Lucius said, a little defensively in Sirius' opinion. "She is a draw for the club. I understand from Draco that being… shrouded in mystery only increases her popularity."

"So you don't know her true identity either," Sirius concluded, with a knowing smile.

"Do be quiet and watch the show, Black," Lucius chided, but Sirius saw an actual smile. The lights were dimming, so Lucius had a point. The show was starting.

 _**SexyBack by Justin Timberlake**_

Pulsing music filled the club and the curtain parted. Seven ladies formed a line across the stage. They all had long dark magenta hair and were dressed in tight black trousers with matching jackets. The singer announced that he was ' _bringing sexy back'_ and Sirius, wholeheartedly, agreed. The dancers moved, spun, and gyrated to the song. At one point they all turned away from the audience and flung off their jackets, leaving them delightfully topless. They continued dancing and the trousers eventually joined the jackets. The matching black knickers were wonderfully skimpy. Sirius only had a fleeting thought of Hermione in a thong before he forced himself to attend to the nearly naked witches right in front of him. As they had during his last visit, the ladies dispersed into the audience greeting people and welcoming them to the club after their song ended. Sirius was favored with a kiss on the cheek by a tall, willowy witch and definitely felt welcome.

Blaise came out on stage and began his patter, joking and teasing the crowd. He assured them all that they would see much more of the ladies and told them to expect a few surprises that evening.

Next up was the knife thrower from his last visit. She was still very tall and handsome. This week she wore a bright pink jumpsuit made out of a shiny material. The routine altered slightly and she did some impressive tricks that Sirius didn't remember from the previous week. Her assistant this week was a well-muscled, shirtless man who flexed and pandered a bit to the crowd.

"Next to the stage, one of our surprises!" Blaise said with a grin. "This weekend we have back with us the one and only...Sur Trois!"

Sirius recognized the name of the French Wizarding rock band. They were ridiculously popular on the continent. Sirius had heard them on the radio, but had never seen them live.

The heavy curtain opened and the trio was center stage, two of the dance poles off on either side of the group. The guitarist had long dark hair and wore black leather trousers and a matching waistcoat, but no shirt underneath. The bassist had a teal Mohawk and dark purple robes. The drummer had closely cropped bleached white hair and was entirely shirtless. Sirius happily joined in the applause.

"Thank you, Merci," the guitarist told the crowd, clearly the spokesman of the group. "We are happy to be back at Emerald. They let us come and see the show in exchange for a few songs, so we get the better deal."

Sirius chuckled along with most of the audience.

"And it pleases us to again work with la belle femme, Siren," the guitarist continued. He was looking off stage though and Sirius quickly followed his gaze.

Sirius waited with bated breath. Only five seconds elapsed between her name being said and when she stepped out from behind the curtain, but it felt like forever.

Siren strode out confidently. Her long hair fell in bubblegum pink waves down her back. She wore the same trousers and jacket the ladies wore earlier, but hers were cream, with gold lapels on the jacket. She wore no shirt under the jacket, and under the open lapels, offered a tease of her lovely breasts. And there was the mask, as always. Today it was gold, matching her jacket. The way she moved was sensuous, feline.

Here was a witch to help him forget Hermione. Siren was a living fantasy, what every wizard wanted and Sirius' saving grace. Surely Siren could push all his inappropriate fantasies about his friend aside. If he actually were to pursue her, to be with Siren, Sirius would be able to preserve his friendship. Imagining Hermione in such an inappropriate fashion would eventually lead him to slip. Sirius never had good impulse control. And then he would have to see Hermione's sweet face, some mix of sadness and disgust written across it as she was forced to reject the advances of a dirty old man.

Sirius felt relieved as his new plan developed to handle his feelings. When he snapped back to attention, Siren was next to the guitarist, kissing him on each cheek.

"Such sweet boys," Siren purred. Her voice was low and throaty. "I'm so happy when you come and play with me."

Sirius nearly groaned at the teasing sex dripping from her comments.

The trio began playing and Siren swayed, hypnotizing him. Her smoky voice filled the room.

 _**Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande**_

"Don't need permission, made my decision to test my limits," she sang. Siren moved with sinuous grace across the stage, singing. She came to one of the poles and rubbed against it like a cat. "All that you got, skin to skin. Oh my god, don't you stop."

Sirius watched her spin around the pole, arching her back as she sang about feeling like a dangerous woman and doing things that she shouldn't. He couldn't look away.

Siren came to the steps, not very far from where he was sitting. His mouth felt very dry in anticipation. She walked toward him and passed behind him, dragging her hand across his shoulder and singing about being a giver. She went on to Lucius and stopped behind him. Her hands rested on his shoulders before she smoothed her palms down his chest as she sang again about being skin to skin. Sirius watched Lucius' eyes roll back. It was over in a moment and Siren flit away, singing about being a dangerous woman; leaving Lucius stunned and Sirius wistful. She wove her way through the audience, petting and seducing.

Sirius was entranced and knew he wasn't alone. She approached a large group and leaned back onto their table arching her back dramatically, her chest thrust forward as she sang about bad girls. Sirius prayed for the straining jacket to part, but to no avail. She made her way back to the stage and finished her song, disappearing at the end in keeping with her mysterious style. The audience roared in applause and the French trio was left to bow and accept the adoration.

"Siren and Sur Trois, ladies and gentleman," Blaise said, causing yet another round of applause. "As the lady said, she does adore having these boys to play with, so they will favor us with another song at the end of the evening. In the meantime, on with the show!"

A very scantily clad, lovely witch came out and spun large metal hoops around her waist, adding more than Sirius thought possible. She was able to spin them around her arms, legs, and neck as well. When the curtain opened again, long emerald green sheets of silk hung from center stage. A man and woman did something Blaise called hanging ribbon ballet. They twirled and spun on the silk sheets, swinging around and off of each other. It was beautifully choreographed and Sirius could not help but think how much Hermione would have appreciated such a show.

 _**Don't Cha by the Pussycat Dolls"_

Sirius directed himself to focus on the show. Four ladies strutted down a curved staircase as a singer sang, " _I know you like me, I know you do_." They were wearing tiny plaid skirts that barely covered their bums and thin white button down shirts that were not buttoned, but tied in a knot. They had impossibly high heels and each wore their long magenta hair in two braids. Sirius nearly guffawed when he realized that the four skirts were different and each represented a different Hogwarts house. The loose school ties hung around their collars gave it away. The witch with the red and gold plaid skirt and a red satin bra peeking out from her loosely tied shirt had to be Sirius' favorite by default. The singer was asking " _don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me_ " as the ladies danced.

Entirely unbidden, Sirius imaged Hermione in such an altered school uniform and the act all of a sudden lost some charm. He already felt like a pervy old man, fantasizing about a young woman whom he had known in her school days. Sirius focused on his drink and then on the two new witches coming into the song, sliding down the poles. They were dressed in gauzy blue creations that looked very much like the Beauxbatons uniforms; if they were entirely see through that is. Soon enough the uniforms were discarded, which also made Sirius feel better.

The really upsetting part was that Sirius used to love a school girl fantasy. If he had seen that particular act last week, it would've ranked as one of his favorites. Now, with the knowledge that he had been subconsciously lusting after Hermione for as much as the past year, the fantasy seemed a bit too perverse. Sammy the Magical Squib came out and did manage to distract Sirius with his very funny 'magic' show, but what Sirius really needed was Siren.

Finally, Blaise came out and thanked them all for coming. He reminded the audience that the club would be closed the coming Friday, but promised that a make-up date would be forthcoming. Sirius almost regretted volunteering to host Ginny's party on Friday, since he would be working closely with Hermione. Then he remembered his initial goal in volunteering was to meet Siren. The club was closed Friday as Blaise had just said and since all the performers and staff were invited, she should be there. Sirius wondered if he would recognize her out of costume, without the mask.

When Blaise reintroduced Sur Trois, Sirius clapped for the band but was really impatient to see _her_ again.

"Thank you for welcoming us tonight," the guitarist said, his fellow band members nodding in agreement. "It's been a pleasure."

"No the pleasure is mine entirely," Siren said from out of nowhere.

Sirius quickly found her at the top of the staircase. The pink hair cascaded down her back, but was swept up on the sides. She wore an extremely short mini dress that looked to be made of long pink and gold fringe. Pink suede boots nearly the color of her hair went up to her mid-thigh. The gold mask remained firmly in place of course.

"And I look for pleasure where ever I can find it," Siren smirked. Sirius felt there was something familiar about her impish expression. He dismissed the thought, telling himself that he most certainly fantasized about her making that face. "I'd like to sing a song about that very thing."

The band began playing and Siren swayed a little. The fringe moved in mesmerizing waves.

 _**Ex's & Oh's by Elle King**_

"I had me a boy, turned him into a man," Siren sang. "I showed him all the things that he didn't understand. Whoa, then I let him go."

Sirius watched her run her hands up and down her sides, entirely bewitched. Siren sauntered down the steps as she sang about being "the best baby they never got to keep" and how "they gonna run back" to her. She was full of so much fucking swagger. Sirius loved how she could be a pretty little sex kitten, a dominatrix, and now a confident woman in charge.

When she reached the bottom of the steps Siren sidled up to the guitarist, leaning back into him and rubbing slightly as she sang. She sang about keeping her lover warm in the winter and leaving him frozen in the spring. Then moved on over to the bassist and rubbed up against him next before turning, leaving the band behind walking toward the front of the stage. Sirius couldn't tear his eyes away as she hips moved and she spun, the fringe creating so much more movement. Every little shake caused waves of shimmery light. Siren stayed up on the stage and belted out how her ex's haunt her. Even though she didn't come down into the crowd, Sirius felt she was singing right at him when she talked about how the men "always wanna come, but they never wanna leave." That was exactly how he felt.

Siren appraised the guitarist as he played a solo. She strutted over to him with her hips swaying in a way that made Sirius' mouth dry. She draped herself over him as he played, then nuzzled her face into his neck. When she tipped her face to bite his ear lobe, he played a discordant note and Siren looked more than pleased with herself. She went back to her song, leaving the guitarist behind her with a dazed look on his face. By the end of the song the guitarist was on the his knees next to her, his arm wound around her boot, while she pet him. Sirius desperately wished that he was in that exact position in that moment.

The song ended and the lights went off for a second. When they came back on, she was gone. The guitarist was left looking nearly as bereft as Sirius felt. _Oh Merlin_ , Sirius thought. Was she with this guitarist? What witch doesn't want a rock star? He looked around the club and saw a number of wizards with lust and want clearly written in their eyes, including the blond right next to him. Sirius watched Lucius quickly collect himself as the applause broke out. If all of these wizards wanted Siren, how would he distinguish himself?

Sirius began to feel a bit panicked. This witch, this one witch, could help him get past his inappropriate crush. He was sure. The song she just sang bounced around in his brain. Of course she was sought after. And if you had her, why would you ever let go? Sirius stood abruptly, causing the elegant wizard to appraise him with a lifted eyebrow.

"I just…thought of something I wanted to ask Ginny about," Sirius stated, although Lucius said nothing. "Have a lovely evening."

Sirius made his way to where he thought the backstage entrance may be. He could look for Ginny and ask her any number of inane questions. If Ginny wasn't around, he could say he needed to speak to Blaise about Ginny's party. And if he happened upon Siren, he would think of something to say, he was sure. He found a promising hallway and turned two corners.

Two wizards in black robes lounged by a doorway. The door was open and there seemed to be lots of activity in the distance. The wizards were chatting with each other and hadn't noticed him. Sirius put on his best friendly, non-threatening grin and walked confidently, as if he knew exactly where he was going. It was a little surprising how often that maneuver had worked for him in the past.

This time, however, it got him a wand aimed directly at his face.

"Oi! Where do you think you're going?" the shorter, but stockier wizard demanded. He held the wand quite steadily, his expression hostile.

"Sirius?" the other wizard asked, sounding surprised. Sirius hoped he wouldn't be jinxed for glancing away and chanced a look over.

"Neville?" Sirius asked, a bit surprised. The skinny, gawky boy looked, well, like a bit of a bad ass. Sirius hadn't seen him in a few years. In that time Neville had filled out and lost the gawkiness of his youth.

"What are you doing here?" Neville asked, putting his hand on the other wizard's arm. The arm, however, did not lower. "Oh, come off it Goyle. It's just Sirius."

"I was…uh, looking for Ginny," Sirius explained, wondering if they were going to accept his explanation, especially Goyle. "I didn't see her tonight and didn't want to leave without saying hello."

The sound of voices through the doorway caused Goyle to turn quickly. Sirius followed his gaze and saw her. She still looked exactly as she had on stage, the mask still in place and the fringe of her dress catching the light. She was walking with the three wizards from the band, a hand through the bassist's arm. She saw him on the other side of the doorway, not four meters away, and seemed to startle. Siren's free hand raised up in his direction and for a second Sirius imagined her fingers crooked at him, beckoning him to her. Instead, she made a gesture and said something Sirius couldn't hear. Immediately she was behind a watery haze and Sirius couldn't see her well anymore. He could see her silhouette and colors, but they were all blurred. Siren must have cast some wandless spell.

"Siren is not to be disturbed!" Goyle nearly shouted, despite Sirius' proximity. He also looked very upset and intense.

"I wasn't trying to disturb her," Sirius replied honestly. Yes, he'd been looking for her but he hadn't wished to disturb or upset her.

"You really shouldn't be back here," Neville told him.

"Oh, come on mate," Sirius cajoled, gently hitting Neville on the arm.

Apparently, Neville took his job very seriously and this was not the right move. He stopped leaning casually on the door frame and drew himself up to his full height.

"I can't let you back here, Sirius," Neville told him, a slight edge to his voice now.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Sirius assured him, taking a clear step backwards. He even rose up both his hands in surrender. "If you see Ginny before you leave tonight, can you tell her that I stopped by to say hello before I left?"

"Sure," Neville agreed, sounding more himself again. "No problem, mate."

"Thanks," Sirius said, smiling. No harm, no foul. He said his goodbyes and returned the way he came.

As Sirius made his way, his brow furrowed. How would he get to her? He was deep in thought and almost ran right into Lucius Malfoy as he re-entered the main area of the club. Lucius was simply standing there, a knowing look on his face as he chuckled at Sirius.

"Oh shut up," Sirius grumbled. "As if you wouldn't have tried yourself."

"What makes you think I haven't?" Lucius drawled. "I could have told you that no one gets back stage while Siren is still here. She doesn't stay long. In about ten minutes you could waltz back there with no problem. But she won't be there anymore."

Sirius huffed. He would have to think of another way. Maybe he would send a gift, something that would get her attention. Now he just had to figure out what that could be.

Next - Hermione!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I would have a gazillion dollars. I do not. So don't sue, I have nothing.

Thanks yous: Bunnyhops is a lovely and wonderful beta, so a million thanks to her. And thanks to everyone reading and especially those reviewing!

Here is Hermione's thoughts on all this!

Chapter Four

Hermione expected to have a shite week, feeling it was going to get worse before it got better. This thing with Sirius was affecting her more than she wished. Her old crush on him seemed to flare up when she saw him the week before, despite her irritation that he had been hounding Ginny for information on her alter ego. When he bought a full membership to the club, Hermione's irritation passed exasperation straight to anger. When he came to the club that Saturday night and then tried to get backstage, she was enraged. There was something about seeing his face, staring enraptured at her off-stage that broke the dam of emotion. Hermione managed to say a professional goodbye to Mathis, Clement, and Axel from Sur Trois before she found Ginny to vent.

To her credit, Ginny listened patiently while Hermione expressed her ire that Saturday night.

"I knew you fancied Sirius," Ginny had said when Hermione stopped her rant to catch her breath. "But I didn't realize just how much."

"I know. It's entirely pathetic, isn't it?" Hermione groaned as she collapsed on Ginny's couch. "I'm so angry. I'm so completely jealous of how he looks at Siren, which feels bizarre since she is me. I feel like he's rubbing my face in it, but logically, I know he isn't because he doesn't _know_ that we are one in the same. I'm angry and disappointed that Siren is the type of witch he wants. And I'm deeply offended that he can't see _me_ though all the charms, pomp, and costumes. To top it all off, I'm driving myself mad by caring so bloody much."

"You care about him," Ginny had simply reminded her. "Sometimes caring about someone is hard. He cares about you too you know, the real you."

Hermione still had a lot to think about after she left Ginny's flat. She was able to admit that there was no small amount of heartbreak behind her anger. She knew Ginny was right. Sirius did care about her, but not the way she wanted. He didn't _want_ her the way he wanted Siren. Years of evidence made it clear to Hermione that Sirius saw her as a friend, nothing more. It was a simple case of an unrequited crush in the end, she knew that.

Saturday night she resolved to go about her life as usual. She had a very busy life. She had a thriving business and a secret side job that took a fair amount of preparation. Hermione also had a wide circle of friends and interests that she could happily throw herself into. She understood that she was avoiding thinking about Sirius, but felt okay about that. He never stayed home in London for long, so Hermione felt confident in her ability to avoid him and her feelings while he was in town.

Sunday went well. Hermione was run off her feet at the store. The weekends in August were always busy with back to school shopping. Hermione loved watching the students getting ready for the school year. She hardly had time to think about Sirius at all. Sunday night she had a late dinner at Astoria's house and Sirius' name never came up. Hermione and Tori went through magazines and pictures looking for costuming ideas. Ginny arranged choreography, Blaise was the showman, and Draco managed the money. Astoria handled membership and supplies, including props and costumes. Hermione brought Muggle costuming catalogs and fashion magazines from her shop. Tori was inspired by burlesque, lingerie, high fashion, and drag shows. Hermione just chimed in, encouraging or reining in Tori's creativity as needed.

Monday, however, things started to go downhill as Hermione thought they would. Sirius whirled into her office, where Hermione had intentionally been hiding and doing paperwork. There didn't seem to be any way to say no when he asked her to help him find Ginny a birthday present. He leaned his leather-clad hip on her desk and said a very pretty please, even promising an ice cream cone. That was how Hermione found herself strolling through shops with Sirius on her lunch break Monday, licking her chocolate and butterbeer swirl. He kept leaving her side, stopping to look in windows. He seemed agitated until she finished the ice cream. Honestly she was irritated too. It was hot outside and it was hard to lick all the ice cream off her fingers. They perused some jewelry and little things, but Sirius wouldn't focus. They went into a shop to look at sweaters and when Hermione found him deep in the lingerie section, she snapped at him and stormed back to her own store. Her break was over anyway. While she had been successful Sunday, not thinking much about Sirius, the rest of Monday was a disaster. Hermione's head was full of him for the rest of the day.

Tuesday was Hermione's day off, the day she closed her store. She slept in and spent the morning reading before meeting Blaise for lunch. Hermione had promised to help him with a surprise for Ginny, so after lunch they went over to Flint's.

Marcus Flint had opened a gym a few years before. They had a fairly cutthroat dueling club there that was popular with Aurors. Several professional and many amateur Quidditch players came there to train. It was actually where Harry and Oliver reconnected and where Harry plucked up the nerve to ask his old teammate out. Marcus hired on a staff and they offered personal training as well as Muggle style fighting classes. Both Marcus and Greg Goyle, who worked part time at Emerald in security, spent a lot of time with mixed martial arts. The gym had a large mirrored room in the back that Ginny and the Emerald girls used to practice.

"You come to start trouble, Princess?" Marcus asked Hermione when they arrived.

"Could be," Hermione responded, narrowing her eyes at the hulking brute.

"I'll be free at four o'clock," Marcus told her with a wicked grin.

"I'll be ready," Hermione said defiantly, her chin jut out.

"You two are so strange." Blaise rolled his eyes. "Is it so hard to say, _Hey want to spar? Sure, when are you free? Four o'clock good for you? Yes, great!_ "

"Well that just sounds silly," Hermione replied. "I can't imagine Flint and I ever sounding like that."

Hermione really liked the gym. Like the singing and dancing, it helped her feed the adrenaline need she had developed during her adolescence. Sometimes Hermione felt the need to fight, to get aggressive and blow off steam. Unfortunately, not many people were willing to duel with her any longer. She never did any permanent damage and didn't _always_ win, but quality opponents were scarce. Hermione thought martial arts seemed fun and it was always nice to keep up with Muggle hobbies. She hadn't expected that it would be hard to find opponents in that arena as well. Apparently physical fighting was not very common in magical communities. Wizards felt uncomfortable beating on a little witch; well, _most_ wizards. Marcus never refused to fight her, but he did go easy on her when she had first been learning. After a year, she was able to hold her own, but Marcus still insisted on using a cushioning charm to soften his blows. Hermione felt it was a bit sexist, but didn't argue much since he was willing to get in the ring.

In the mean time, Hermione followed Blaise to the large dance room. Emerald rented out the space a few days a week. The other participants were already there.

"Okay, gentleman, let's get started," Hermione announced loudly. Blaise had the idea to do a dance for Ginny at her birthday party, one that required a dance troupe and choreography. Since it was a surprise, it fell to Hermione to teach them a routine. She wasn't as good as Ginny, but it would be fun and entertaining.

Blaise had recruited Neville and Justin. Hermione had harangued and used a fair amount of reverse psychology to get Draco on board. Harry volunteered because he liked to dance and it seemed fun. Hermione taught the five wizards steps and certain moves, then they put them in a sequence. The first time they added in the music was a bit disastrous, but they got better. The five wizards stripped their way from full Wizarding robes down to trousers. Oddly enough, none of them seemed to have any issue being on display.

Hermione scolded herself when she began imagining what Sirius would look like doing these moves. She had been doing so well not thinking of him! Well, if you didn't count the night before, part of the morning, or that ten minutes of happy time she had in the shower before she left her house that day; then she had been doing well.

After dance practice, Hermione went to the locker she kept at the gym and changed to spar. She wore thin sweat pants that had been cut off just below the knee, as they had been too long for her. With that she just had a sports bra and a tattered old vest. She pulled her voluminous hair up into a pony tail and went out, spoiling for a fight.

A small crowd of witches and wizards had gathered to watch as she climbed into the ring. Hermione was used to it. Muggle style fighting was still new and fascinating to many. Wagers were being placed, but she paid it no mind.

"Your crown, Princess," Marcus teased, throwing her the protective, padded headgear he insisted she wear.

Hermione knew he called her Princess to rile her up and it generally worked. She fought better when he pushed her and made her mad. She scowled at Marcus while she put on the helmet and mouth guard. Quips and comebacks were hard to make with the mouth guard, but growing back teeth took a really long time. Hermione was already fired up with her mix of lust, care, and anger at Sirius. Trying to beat Marcus Flint to a pulp was just the thing she needed.

"I picked out some mood music for you, Princess."

Hermione recognized the whispery music and grinned around her mouth guard. This song was perfect for her mood. Marcus returned her grin, also giddy to fight. When the singer screamed _let the bodies hit the floor_ , Hermione launched herself forward and spun, her foot connecting solidly with Marcus' face. He looked dazed for a moment and Hermione chuckled while the crowd around them roared. It was unlike her to go full out for the first strike, but she didn't feel like being cautious today. Hermione's strengths against a big opponent like Marcus were her speed, agility, flexibility and stamina. He had the brute strength and power to crush her if she wasn't smart.

Hermione dodged and moved, never letting Marcus catch her or get in a direct hit. The glancing blows to her torso, shoulder, and head weren't love taps by any means; but they wouldn't put her down. She got in plenty of her own hits too but Marcus was huge. Punching and kicking him wasn't going to get her the win. The song Marcus put on was ending and they both had minor injuries. His nose was bleeding and likely broken. She had a cut on her left cheekbone. Hermione heard cheers and comments from the crowd, but she wasn't really paying attention. She was focused on Marcus. She had to find a way to either get him down on the ground or get up on his back; all without letting him catch her.

Marcus lunged and Hermione dodged. She hit the back of his knee and he faltered. A second quick blow to his kidney and Marcus had a knee on the mat. That was all she needed. Hermione wrapped her leg around his neck in a choke and began to squeeze. Her leg muscles were much stronger than her arms. Marcus tried to break the hold, but she held on.

"You're done for now, Flint," she heard someone yell.

"He won't give in," another voice argued. "He'll pass out before he concedes."

"She'll let him go before that. Won't she?"

"Are you kidding? Hermione's the most stubborn person I know." That sounded like Harry and Hermione smirked. He wasn't wrong.

"Hermione?!"

Hermione's head wiped up at the sound of Sirius' voice. He sounded horrified. She found his shocked face in the crowd.

Marcus took immediate advantage of her distraction and Hermione cursed herself as he flipped her down to the mat. She was caught. Marcus had her pinned and her arm in a lock. Hermione screamed her frustration through her mouth guard. This was entirely unacceptable.

"Give in, Princess," Marcus instructed. "I'll break it, you know I will."

Hermione did know, from experience. She'd broken his wrist and he had fractured her arm before. It was important that they understood each other's boundaries and it was nothing some Skele-Gro couldn't fix. She banged her padded head against the mat in frustration. Sirius had been distracting her for days now. This was supposed to distract her from him, yet here he was, making her lose. Hermione hated losing. She panted and struggled, trying to think of a way out. Angrily, she spit the mouth guard out.

"Give!" she finally shouted.

Marcus released her and stood up, a triumphant grin on his face. Hermione panted, trying to catch her breath. Then she whirled her legs up and swept Marcus' legs out from under him. He landed with a thud next to her. Maybe it wasn't good sportsmanship, strictly speaking, but she couldn't help it.

"You're such a bitch," Marcus groaned. Then he started laughing. "But I won."

"I had you there," Hermione countered, drawing herself up to her knees and throwing off her helmet.

"Maybe," Marcus agreed, sitting up as well. "And then you didn't have me anymore, so it doesn't matter in the end."

"I was distracted," Hermione said, scowling. She gestured over to Sirius. " _He_ distracted me."

Marcus just laughed again and climbed out of the ring. Hermione had no excuse and they both knew it. She lost fair and square.

"I'll win next time," Hermione groused, following him out of the ring.

Harry steered her to a bench and sat her down.

"I would've won," Hermione insisted as Harry looked at her cut.

"Yes, I know," Harry soothed.

"Sirius distracted me!" Hermione was still fuming.

Marcus advanced toward her with his wand, but Draco knocked him out of the way.

"I'll do the Episky, Flint," Draco sneered. "We don't want her face to look anything like yours."

Marcus laughed and set about repairing his own broken nose while Draco very neatly closed her cut.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Sirius said when he finally managed to get to her. "I was surprised. I didn't recognize you."

"You never do," Hermione grumbled under her breath, pulling off her small, fingerless gloves.

"What?" Sirius asked, looking lost. He hadn't heard her, but from Draco's arched brow it appeared that he had.

"It's fine." Hermione sighed. Why did she expect Sirius to see her differently? She would always be a kid to him. Maybe he saw her as a younger sister, which was a horrible thought. Her sweaty gym clothes and frizzy hair certainly wouldn't convince him that she was a grown up, sexual woman.

"Sirius came to try his hand at some dueling, if you want to join us," Harry offered.

Hermione declined, but it didn't seem that anyone was paying attention. Her response was swallowed up by a clamor of settling bets made on her fight and creating an impromptu dueling competition. That was fine, since Hermione really wanted to head home, soak in her tub, and spend the evening finishing her book.

Sirius did manage to catch her as she headed back to her locker.

"You're coming over Thursday?" He asked. Sirius wore that sweet puppy dog look he favored when he was in trouble. He didn't mean to spoil her fight. He didn't _mean_ to make her care about him the way she did. He was a good person and Hermione softened her scowl.

"Of course," she confirmed. They had pre-party arrangements to make.

Sirius gave her a tight hug and Hermione took a moment to appreciate being in his arms. He was still her friend and she didn't want to lose that entirely, she just needed a break from him. This meant she would need to rein in her feelings and not take out her anger on her unwitting friend.

"I'll see you soon then," Sirius said when Hermione stepped away.

Hermione nodded her agreement, ignoring the painful constriction in her chest. It was so much easier to feel angry instead of lovesick. She made her way home, refusing to cry. The bath and book were just what she needed. She wasn't entirely able to push Sirius from her mind, but it felt good to take care of herself.

Wednesday morning was busy with rehearsals for the club. Hermione watched the dancers go through a few songs they would perform Saturday night. Ginny worked them hard, but they always handled it well. When the ladies left, Hermione ran through a few songs with Ginny herself. The redhead's staging and showmanship was excellent. A few well placed questions and Hermione was confident the other witch had no clue about her upcoming surprise party. Ginny thought that Blaise was going to take her out for a fancy dinner, but that was all.

The afternoon at the shop was brisk and there was plenty of work to be done. Hermione taught a beginner computer class that evening, as she did every Wednesday night. The turnout was good, with many of her regulars. Arthur Weasley, for example, could not get enough of her Muggle technology classes and was waging a campaign against Molly to get internet service in his home. To her surprise, Sirius also attended her class. Hermione had walked him through the basics before, but he said he was in need of an update. She tried very hard to treat him the same way she treated her other six students. It was possible that Hermione found herself drawn over to him slightly more often, but she told herself that was because he was more out of practice than her regulars. Regardless of whatever she told herself that evening, Hermione had to admit that he preoccupied her thoughts as she tossed and turned that evening. When she did finally fall asleep, Sirius continued to plague her; although she couldn't find it in her to complain much about the delightful things she did with dream Sirius that night.

Hermione stepped out of the Grimmauld Place Floo in the downstairs kitchen at Thursday, noon on the dot. To be honest she was a bit eager to get their party planning meeting over and done with. Blaise had blocked off her whole afternoon with the task, but Hermione was sure they could be done in an hour. She was a very organized and efficient witch after all.

"Missy 'Mione! Hello!" Hermione smiled

at the tiny elf, dressed in a royal blue tunic and bright red leggings.

"Hello, Gretel." Hermione returned the greeting. She really liked the pair of elves that she found for Sirius after Kreacher passed. Gretel and her mate, Hansel, lost their previous house because they refused to be separated. The family had wanted Gretel to move in with their daughter when she got her own flat. "How are you?"

"We is all well. Master Sirius will being so happy to sees you, he is missing you," Gretel said beaming.

"It is nice when he comes back into town," Hermione said, sighing wistfully. She would have to get the work done and get out of there. It was so easy for her to be in Sirius' home. She had helped him renovate the property and redecorate. When Sirius went off traveling, Hermione kept tabs on the work for him. She knew where everything was and felt an inappropriate sense of ownership at Grimmauld Place after all these years. Sirius had suggested Hermione live there, since the house just sat empty most of the time; but Hermione felt she needed her own place. Now she was even happier about her decision, given the state of her feelings for Sirius. It would have been excruciating to live with him.

Hermione noticed that Gretel was appraising her seriously.

"What?" Hermione asked the elf.

"You should be spending more times here," Gretel said simply, turning to tend to something in a bowl on the kitchen counter.

"I don't think that's necessary," Hermione replied, sputtering a bit.

"Master Sirius is up the stairs. You should be going to him."

Hermione left the odd elf in the kitchen and went to find her friend. She reminded herself that Sirius was her friend, just her friend. It was all he would ever be. Hermione poked her head into the ground floor dining room. It was an expansive room that took up nearly the whole floor. They would put the party food out in a buffet in the dining room, leaving plenty of space for mingling.

Hermione ascended the steps to the next level. Sirius was probably in the parlor, since that is likely where most of the party would take place. He was not. He was, however, headed in that direction. As she reached the top of the steps, Sirius was coming down from upstairs. He was barefoot and wearing dark blue denim jeans that looked soft and well worn. He was pulling a dark red t-shirt over his head as he descended the steps. The muscled expanse of his abdomen was on full display. Hermione's mouth went dry. His jeans were low slung and Hermione could see his hip bones as well as a trial of dark hair that disappeared into his waistband. That mantra she had been repeating in her head earlier, that Sirius was just her friend, was completely forgotten.

"'Mione, you're here!"

"Huh?" Hermione shook herself out of her lustful thoughts.

"You okay?" Sirius looked concerned, and freshly showered. His long, thick hair was still damp.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine," Hermione felt her cheeks flaming in embarrassment. She scolded herself. Sirius would not appreciate her ogling him and Hermione did not want to make him uncomfortable in his own home.

"You didn't look well for a moment there." Sirius stepped close to her and put his hands of her upper arms, scrutinizing her. Hermione shivered and he began rubbing her arms lightly. "Did you eat any lunch yet?"

"No," Hermione sighed. She was trying very hard not to respond to his proximity, to his hands on her, but it was difficult. She forced herself to focus, to remember the plan. She was to get the work done and get out. "We should really get to the party planning. I don't want to take up your whole afternoon."

Sirius scoffed and wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her toward the parlor.

"You can have my whole afternoon anytime, 'Mione, you know that. Besides, we can't do anything until Blaise gets here. He owled this morning to say that he would be a bit late this afternoon. I told Gretel to bring lunch to the parlor while we waited. Now you have a chance to eat and relax."

Hermione cringed, mostly inwardly. If Blaise said he would be a bit late, that meant it would close to an hour before he arrived. So much for being quick and efficient, so she could minimize her time with Sirius.

"How are you doing, 'Mione?" Sirius asked as he steered her to a couch.

The parlor was very large, but he managed to ensconce them in a cozy corner. The couch was plush. Hermione slipped off her shoes so she could bring up her feet and sink into the pillows. There was a side table laden with food. Sirius made her a plate with a few small sandwiches and chips.

"I'm good," she responded, taking the offered plate.

"You aren't working yourself too hard, are you?" He set a cold glass of cider next to her as well before helping himself. "You went to work Friday night and you must have worked all weekend. Are you resting enough?"

"I do like to keep busy. I close the store on Tuesdays and try not to do any work if I can help it."

"You were working pretty hard this Tuesday! Sorry again about distracting you with Flint. I was just surprised." Sirius settled onto the couch right next to her, lifting her bare feet into his lap.

"It's okay." Hermione shrugged. "I get a little too competitive at times, I always have. Besides, I shouldn't lose focus that easily."

"You're really good. How long have you being fighting?" Sirius looked interested. Hermione knew she had looked a mess when she saw him at the gym and suppressed a sigh. It was fairly mortifying.

"It's been about a year now. I found that I got used to a certainly level of adrenaline during my teenage years. It was hard to adjust to the peace and quiet. Fighting adds a bit of excitement."

"But you all deserve peace and quiet!" Sirius protested. "Your generation went through so much, from such an early age. I fought in the first war, but we were adults."

"It can't be helped," Hermione said simply. "We all have ways of managing the restlessness. Harry and Ron's work as Aurors offers them regular doses of adrenaline. Ginny gets plenty of excitement at the club."

"What do you think about the club? I've heard Molly talk out her mixed feelings. She's still not sure she approves. Have you seen the show?"

"I've never been in the audience," Hermione answered. It wasn't really a lie. She had never been in the audience and watched a show at the club. "I've seen the girls practice with Ginny plenty of times. They use the back room at Flint's gym. They love performing. They feel sexy and powerful, so I think it's pretty great."

Sirius just nodded, looking pensive. Hermione left him to his thoughts and ate the delicious food. She loved Gretel's chips and there always seemed to be plentiful when Hermione visited.

"I wonder if things will change when Ginny and Blaise get married," Sirius finally said in an offhand manner.

"Married?" Hermione choked a bit on her lunch. Sirius handed her the cider and Hermione took a long drink. "Ginny never mentioned anything about an engagement."

"Well I don't think Blaise has asked yet," Sirius explained. "But he will."

"How do you know?"

"He has that look about him," Sirius said. There was something wistful about his voice. "When he looks at her, he looks as if he knows how important she is to his happiness. That's what everyone wants, to find that person."

Sirius was looking off, clearing thinking about something – or more likely, someone. Hermione couldn't help but stare at him, her heart breaking a little. He was so beautiful and being with him was so easy. He would whirl into town and she would slide right into his life for as long as he stayed. She treated his house as if it were her own, going so far as finding him house elves and decorating it to her taste. When she was near him, Hermione inexplicably found herself violating his personal space. Even now, she sat close to him with her feet in his lap! How had that even happened? She realized that she had staked a claim on him without even noticing. If anyone happened upon them, they would assume the kind of relationship Hermione wanted instead of the one she really had. One day Sirius would find his person and where would she be? Hermione knew this had to come to an end, for her own sake. She had to distance herself from him, had to give up on her crush once and for all.

Next: Sirius is up!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or his universe.

Thank you all for reading and for the lovely comments. And thank you, as always, to the delightful bunnyhops for the beta!

Now: Ginny has a birthday party! And this story earns it's Mature warning, so beware of smut!

Chapter Five

Sirius fidgeted with a gold napkin that he picked up; shredding it slightly as he internally scolded himself. He was entirely too nervous for this party and it hadn't even started.

"We are all set up in the kitchen, Sir." Sirius was shaken out of his thoughts by the party planner that Zabini had managed to hire without telling Molly. The Weasley matriarch remained reluctant to spend Zabini's money.

"Excellent," Sirius responded. "The decorations are wonderful too."

They both surveyed the parlor, festooned in gold bunting and twinkling lights. The planner and her crew had removed or repositioned furniture on the first floor as well as the ground floor. Sirius didn't mind at all; anything for a good party after all.

A bloke from Hermione's store, Justin, had created something called a playlist and had set up speakers around the house earlier that day. Sirius stopped paying attention when the party planner assured them that she could start the music when necessary. Sirius was learning about Muggle technology from Hermione, but was not up to operating the laptop that contained the music.

"The bartender is set up downstairs as well." The planner merely arched a brow and looked on as Sirius continued to twist and shred the napkin he held.

"Oh thank Merlin." Sirius breathed a sigh of relief and headed off to get a drink. He really wanted a smoke, but he'd quit last year. Hermione had been so proud of him when he told her last Christmas, saying that his quitting smoking was the best present she could ever get. There was no way he could face her disappointment if he started up again.

Sirius' nerves were frayed. He downed a shot of Firewhisky and asked for a second. He wasn't going to get drunk, but he needed something to take the edge off. After realizing how he felt about Hermione a week ago, he'd had a very hard time staying away from her as he had intended.

Armed with Ginny's birthday present as an excuse, Sirius dragged Hermione out shopping with him. He'd bought her an ice cream cone, which had to have been the worst idea known to Wizarding kind. Watching her lick the melting ice cream from the cone, and then from her fingers, created a very uncomfortable situation. It was intolerable. He hoped Hermione couldn't tell how arousing the situation was for him. Sex was all he could think about. He worked to transfer his fantasy to Siren. That had been working for him since Saturday night when he saw Siren's show, which also prompted him to peruse the lingerie section, thinking of sending something of that nature to the sultry singer. Hermione got irritated with his distraction and Sirius eventually dismissed the lingerie idea anyway. He imagined Siren received gifts like that from others and Sirius wanted to distinguish himself.

Tuesday had been extremely difficult. Sirius had made plans with Harry to meet up for some healthy dueling, a fine distraction. Instead, he found his fiery little witch beating the shite out of Marcus Flint. Initially, Sirius hadn't realized it was her. She had been facing away from him and the helmet she wore obscured the sides of her face, as well as covered her hair. When he made his way through the crowd surrounding the ring, she had just gotten Flint into a lock. Sirius had been momentarily surprised that it was a witch taking down that hulking brute. He admired the shape of her sleek thighs through the thin workout clothes. Her shirt was so thin it was nearly transparent. The sweat made it cling to her body. Sirius was honestly concerned when he heard Harry say it was Hermione in the ring. He didn't want her hurt in any way. She was not happy with him when she lost.

Sirius could not stop looking at her body, the sweat glistening on her skin. For the rest of the day and night he was plagued with fantasies about being in the ring with her instead of Flint. Of course the fighting was more like grappling, which then turned into something else entirely. Sirius could not swap Siren into that fantasy, no matter how hard he tried. The sex kitten singer just didn't belong in a gym, glorious and sweaty, chest heaving with exertion. In the fantasy, Sirius' clothes were ripped from him and he was taken down. He was ridden hard and fast and it was Hermione every time.

That meant that Wednesday, Sirius spent most of the day focused on Siren. He had to find the perfect gift to get her attention. He had to find out her real identity. Sirius pestered Ginny that afternoon, but the redhead wasn't giving up the information. He spent the rest of the day in Diagon Alley looking for the right gift, but ended up back with Hermione. Sirius loved her shop and told himself that he could use the internet to research a good gift for Siren. He was certainly willing to go into Muggle London to find something, if it was the right something.

Sirius took a deep breath and asked for a third shot of Firewhisky. He had almost buggered everything up on Thursday when Hermione came over. She was so easy to love; he nearly forgot she wasn't his. She fit so well into his home. She was so comfortable. Sirius' thoughts turned romantic and he imaged having her with him always. Hermione must have noticed the direction of his thoughts and she did not like it. She pulled away from him right away, something she never did, and excused herself to use the restroom. She was gone long enough for Sirius to give himself a good scolding. Hermione was comfortable in his home because she trusted him, trusted him not to come on to her or put her in a difficult position. When she returned to the room, Hermione sat in another seat and implied that it would be best if she left. Sirius was horrified with himself, with the level of intimacy he created between them without her consent. He had steered her to sit with him, fed her, and was cradling her feet in his lap. Hermione had never asked for any of that.

Thankfully Blaise arrived; party planner in tow, and situation was defused. They focused on the party. Regardless, Hermione seemed to make a hasty exit as soon as was possible. That was why Sirius was so on edge. He had to give Hermione space. Generally, it was hard to stay away from her, but Sirius planned to focus on finding Siren. If he had a job to do, a goal to achieve, then that may be enough to distract him away from following Hermione around and invading her space during the party.

Hermione arrived with the first group of guests. Sirius briefly worried that she hadn't felt comfortable coming on her own to deliberately avoid being alone with him, but decided he was being paranoid. There wasn't anything strange about her coming with Ron, Harry, and Oliver. In fact, they'd likely planned to go to the party together.

Hermione looked stunning in a simple dark rose colored dress. It was sleeveless and had wide straps as well as a scoop neck. The short skirt flared out, showing off her legs. True to form, she wore simple ballet flats. Her long, curly hair flowed around her shoulders. Sirius greeted his guests and was proud that he managed to treat Hermione the same way he as he had the others. He repressed his desire to pull her into him, to hug her and press a kiss into her wild mane. It was a very strong desire though, so Sirius knew it would be best to avoid Hermione as much as possible. He showed them where to put their gifts and encouraged them to put the bartender to work.

Sirius turned on his charm, plastering his grin firmly to his face. He planned to be at his most sociable and charismatic tonight. Ginny was a very popular witch. Sirius was getting overwhelmed trying to keep track of all the ladies he didn't know. His home was bursting with people, which was wonderful.

Since it was a surprise party, guests were told they must arrive before 8pm, or they'd have to wait until after 9pm. Blaise was strongly committed to Ginny being truly surprised. Therefore, a steady rush of guests kept coming in the half hour before 8pm. Sirius tried to keep track, thinking that he could compile a mental list of ladies who may be Siren. Part of him was convinced he would know her immediately. He hadn't counted on all the Holyhead Harpies mixing in with the witches from the club. Added to that were school friends, friends of friends, and family friends. There were too many for him to really scrutinize as they arrived. There were almost twice as many witches as there were wizards. Any other time and Sirius would have been pleased with that ratio at a party, but tonight it was downright irritating. He circulated the room and was bemused by the strange conversational groups that had formed.

Molly was with Andromeda Tonks and Astoria Greengrass, talking animatedly about the young witch's upcoming wedding. Sirius knew that Andromeda and Narcissa had mended their rift, for the most part, though they continued to be very different people. Sirius kept in touch with Andromeda, seeing little Teddy whenever he was in town. It only just occurred to him that Draco was family as well and he could reach out to the Malfoys. His interaction with Lucius last weekend was actually pretty good. Sirius didn't have so much family left that he felt comfortable dismissing them, even if he knew they would never be close.

Arthur had cornered Justin from Hermione's shop, fascinated by the music set up in the house. Justin was able to control it all with a slim rectangular box that fit in his hand. Flint looked totally at ease standing with Charlie Weasley, the two of them apparently comparing scars. Bill Weasley and Draco were very animatedly discussing banking regulation and security. Sirius rolled his eyes. He would rather join any other conversation, with few exceptions. One of the exceptions was Pansy, Fleur, and Penelope, all of whom were clearly well along and uncomfortable in advanced pregnancy.

Ron and George were happily chatting up four very attractive witches. Actually, that was a popular activity. The single wizards in the room seemed in particularly high spirits, surrounded by so many lovely witches. To be fair, everyone appeared happy and ready to celebrate as the drinks flowed.

Sirius' own frown was the only one in the room. It came on involuntarily when he spied Hermione and Luna Lovegood laughing with one of those French rock stars, the guitarist from Sur Trois. The Frenchman was gesturing animatedly while the witches laughed. It must've been a great story. Against his own better judgment Sirius sidled up to the group.

"So zee wizard says, non madam, zis is clearly not my rabbit."

Hermione and Luna broke down laughing, the Frenchman clearly pleased with his joke as he sipped his drink.

"Oh, Sirius, have you met Mathis?" Hermione said, noticing his presence and wiping tears from her eyes.

"I haven't." Sirius put out his hand, which the guitarist took easily. "Sirius Black, it's a pleasure."

"Ah, zis is your house, no? Thank you for throwing zis party!"

"I am happy to do it," Sirius said, waving it off. "I love parties and didn't have to do much. 'Mione here did a lot of the work."

"Blaise did most of it," Hermione deflected. "It has turned out well so far."

All of a sudden, Hermione's eyes went wide. She looked to Sirius quickly, as if he should know what was going on. He just stared into those wide, amber whisky colored eyes, lost for a moment. Hermione reached up to her chest and Sirius' gaze went to her hand. Her fingers danced across the expanse of bare skin to the strap of her dress and she reached under the fabric.

"Ginny's almost here!" Hermione exclaimed, pulling a small vibrating coin from the inside of her dress. Sirius blinked a few times to clear his head.

"Everyone out of the hall and be quiet!" Molly shouted. "They're almost here!"

Sirius reached into his pocket and pulled out his own vibrating coin. The party planner was ushering everyone into the packed room and turning out the lights. Hermione had charmed four coins that Blaise could activate when they were near. Sirius had entirely forgotten about it in that moment. He ran his hands over his face in the darkness, embarrassed that he was so caught up in Hermione. It was only a few seconds really and he doubted anyone noticed, since everyone scrambled to clear the ground floor hallway and make the house appear empty.

The room was as silent as it could be with nearly a hundred people breathing and shifting around, trying their very hardest to be quiet and still. Sirius focused on listening. His hearing was actually quite good, as was his sense of smell and night vision; although those were less applicable in this case. The heightened senses were a holdover from his Animagus form.

Sirius heard the front door open, but he doubted many others had.

"But why are we here?" Ginny demanded of Blaise, her tone playful and light.

"I know you've been snooping all through my house, don't deny it," Blaise responded. Ginny's only response was a giggle. Their footsteps were getting closer. "I also know you've been tearing apart the club looking for your gift. Did you really think I would leave it at either of those places and let you ruin the surprise?"

"So you enlisted Sirius to help," Ginny concluded. "Sneaky bloke."

"Would you have ever thought to look here?" Blaise asked. They were outside the doorframe now. Sirius could see them smiling and holding hands in the very dim light cast from a wall sconce by the front door. To them, it would just look like they were standing in front of a dark, empty room.

"Never," Ginny replied, laughing. Blaise smirked, looking quite proud of himself.

"Well, surprise," Blaise said, turning Ginny by the shoulders so she faced the dark room.

Mere seconds later, the lights popped on and the crowd shouted surprise! Ginny looked entirely stunned, her mouth open and her eyes wide. Sirius smiled watching the young redhead frozen as all of her friends and family flooded around her, laughing at her surprise and wishing her a happy birthday. Ginny could not have been happier, which made everything worth it. Harry pressed drinks into the newcomers' hands and the party resumed. Food and drink flowed freely and many a drunken toast was made to the birthday girl.

Sirius resumed circulating among the guests, moving from the ground floor to the parlor upstairs. He laughed and talked with friends, new and old. He purposefully moved so he was on the opposite side of the room from Hermione or on a different floor. He had to admit, part of him kept tabs on her when they were in the same room. There were many very attractive witches, many of whom were happy to chat with him and Sirius was happy for the distraction. He was a very attractive wizard and enjoyed the ego boost from the attention. He recognized several of the witches from Emerald and he happily sang their praises, identifying himself as a fan. None of them were Siren, he could tell. An athletic dancer with dark hair appeared to fancy him, but even she wouldn't tell him Siren's real identity. She did divulge that she didn't know the popular singer's true identity, pouting prettily and flirting. Apparently, only a few of the other performers knew Siren.

The draw Sirius felt to Siren was so strong; he firmly believed that it must mean something. He assumed that he would know her if he spoke to her, that his eyes would lock onto her and he would be drawn into her just as he had been when she performed. So far, none of the attractive, friendly witches produced even an echo of that feeling. The only witch he'd been drawn to was Hermione, which Sirius felt was entirely unfair. Part of him was angry at Harry and Ron for alerting him to his own feelings. If they had just let him continue, oblivious to how much he wanted his friend, Sirius would've been having a much better time at the party.

"Ladies and Gentleman, your attention please," Hermione said, a _Sonorus_ charm amplifying her voice as the music stopped.

Sirius had been avoiding her, but that was obviously no longer an option. As he moved toward her in the parlor, Sirius saw her perched on the edge of the dance floor they had created. A black curtain hung behind her. Five empty chairs were placed in front of the dance floor.

"Ginny Weasley, to the front, young lady!" Hermione shouted. Ginny worked her way through the packed room, pushed along. Hermione had her sit in the center chair. "We've worked out a little show for you, for your birthday."

"Show?" Ginny looked gleeful, her cheeks pink with the warmth of the room and the drink.

"Ollie and Tori, you come on through as well. Then I'll need two more volunteers, one male and one female." Hermione seated Oliver and Astoria in chairs, both fairly bouncing with excitement. A lovely blonde witch and an attractive ginger wizard Sirius didn't know volunteered to take the other two seats.

Once everyone was in place, Hermione stepped to the side and drew out her wand. One flick of her wand and the lights dimmed. A spotlight shone on the closed curtain. The room buzzed with anticipation and pulsing music filled the room. The black curtain parted and five figures stood in a V formation, their backs turned to the audience. They all wore long black Wizarding robes, hoods pulled up.

 _** Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO**_

The figures on the dance floor spun around, making an entire rotation before turning to face the crowd and dropping their hoods. Blaise was at the top of the V with Harry and Draco on the right. Justin and Neville were on the left side. The crowd burst out in noise, applauding, whooping, laughing and shrieking. The man singing said, " _Yeah, when I walk on by, girls be lookin' like damn he fly_ ," and the wizards parted their robes. Underneath, they all wore tight black trousers and fitted white shirts. They spun and moved around the stage. When the singer repeated, " _Girl look at that body,_ " one of the wizards would throw his robe to the side. The guys gyrated and rolled their bodies, pushing out their chests and rolling their hips. Sirius smiled and joined in the shouting as the crowd cheered them on. As they danced, they moved up stage. They worked their way to the people seated in the five chairs, who were all laughing and cheering. Ginny reached up and rubbed Blaise's thighs. Ollie and Tori were also happy to touch their significant others, but the volunteers were a bit more restrained. The blonde was happily ogling Neville while the ginger grinned at Justin.

When he sang, " _I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it, I'm sexy and I know it,_ " the wizards ripped the white shirts off to the increased screams of the crowd. They twirled their shirts for a moment before throwing them. At one point the song said to " _wiggle, wiggle, wiggle_." Blaise turned and shook his arse in front of Ginny.

"Sweet Merlin!" Sirius heard Molly exclaim over the noise of the crowd and he could not hold back his laughter. The older female Weasley looked like she thought the performance quite fun, but was making a token show of disapproving.

At the end of the song, the five dancers, now only in their trousers, bowed to the cheering crowd.

"Our choreographer!" Blaise smiled, pointing to Hermione. Neville pulled her onto the dance floor and Hermione bowed with the wizards. Sirius just stared. Hermione had put together those dance moves? She had choreographed a strip show? She had mentioned that she watched Ginny rehearse the dancers for the club. Maybe that was how she knew all those moves. The barest hint of Hermione combined with stripping made Sirius painfully aroused.

Sirius focused on the reaction of the crowd in order to stop imagining Hermione stripping. Ginny couldn't believe they had pulled off something like that and exclaimed herself impressed. Jokes flew around about having a ladies night at the club and about a Muggle movie entitled Magic Mike, which Sirius had never heard of. The music started back up, but was definitely more suitable for dancing than what they had been playing for the first hour and a half of the party.

Of course the dance music made people want to dance. Sirius knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help himself. He joined in, dancing to the fast music. Some of the girls he'd been chatting with earlier came to dance with him, but Sirius was focused on Hermione. He could reach her in about five steps, she was so close. Her sweet body was moving to the music. Two of those French rock stars were near her, that Mathis he met earlier and the one with the Mohawk. Hermione looked happy, spinning and dancing.

Sirius took a few breaks, but he never went far. After a dozen songs, Hermione was still going strong. Some people were pairing off, but she didn't seem to be doing that. The brunette Sirius talked to earlier stumbled up to him and threw her arms around his neck, clearly very tipsy.

"This is such a great party! But I think I'm a little drunk," she shouted over the music.

"I think so," Sirius agreed. She leaned into him and Sirius wrapped an arm around her waist, trying to keep her upright. "Maybe we should get you home?"

"I'd love that," she grinned.

Thankfully, Blaise had hired a very thorough party planner. Sirius walked the witch out of the parlor toward the stairs where the planner had set up a side-along apparition service for those so drunk they might splinch themselves or get lost trying to navigate the Floo system.

Sirius said goodbye to several others, noticing that the party was naturally winding down. There were still plenty of guests, but only half as many as there had been. Returning to the parlor, Sirius immediately looked for Hermione. A number of wizards had been circling around his witch and Sirius didn't like it. Half way through the party, Sirius gave up trying to edit his own thoughts. Hermione was his witch, to him at least, and he was too pissed to think anything different. He wasn't so far in his cups that he was acting on his inappropriate thoughts. It would be so easy to press her into his chest; her hips nestled into his, their bodies swaying to the music, no space between them.

Sirius found her in exactly that position. His stomach turned and his teeth clenched. Hermione was pressed between two wizards, being pushed and pulled to the rhythm of a salsa song. She hooked her leg around one of them, her skirt flaring and showing her smooth thigh. The wizard's hand gripped her leg, up much too high as far as Sirius was concerned, and spun with her.

"They must've been practicing that," George Weasley scoffed, gesturing to Hermione with his half full glass. He leaned into Sirius for support. "No one can just dance like that. I wonder how often the three of them have done that. I bet I could do it with practice, just a little."

George's drunken rambling brought Sirius out of his thoughts. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed him staring at Hermione, but a lot of people were looking at her. There were still other people dancing, but many had stopped to watch Hermione. That's when Sirius really paid attention to the scene. The two wizards were Harry and Ollie. The three of them were doing a sort of ménage-a-trios tango that was sexy as fuck. Sirius' mouth literally watered.

The song ended and Harry twirled Hermione around, both of them smiling. It was beautiful. A new song began and Ginny shrieked Hermione's name.

"Come on, 'Mione!" Ginny said, grabbing her friend. "This is the first song we ever made a routine for. You have to do it with me!"

"I'm not sure I remember how it goes," Hermione said. Sirius could swear she was blushing.

"Liar," Ginny retorted, grabbing her hand and pulling her to an open space.

The singer was encouraging ladies to shake their moneymakers and Sirius held his breath. The two friends spun and twisted in sync with each other, leaning into each other and moving together. Hermione and Ginny were doing the same moves, but Sirius could only see Hermione. She thrust her hips and arched her back, moving with the music. The dirty lyrics weren't helping. Hermione twirled and bent over, drawing her hands up her legs. Sirius unconsciously took a step forward. He could not remember seeing anything so hot.

Harry whooped near him and drew Sirius' attention away from Hermione for a moment. Sirius began to panic, he was losing it. He always knew that he was impulsive, self-indulgent, and a little reckless. He'd always thought of those as some of his best qualities. Tonight, however, he felt like he was on a collision course. The only thing he could think to do was flee.

Given that this was his house, Sirius opted to just go downstairs. The bartender was closing up, but poured Sirius a very large parting drink. He chatted with a few people and said goodbye to more as people made their way out. He couldn't have said what he talked about, or even who he was talking with; his mind was still with Hermione. Siren could've been standing in front of him then, asking him to take her, and Sirius would've nodded and hummed noncommittally as he had with everyone else.

"Sirius!" Ginny blindsided him with a hug. "Thank you so much for all of this, for donating your house."

"Anytime," Sirius replied, honestly. "I hope it was a happy birthday."

"It was… it is!" Ginny laughed. "I have almost an hour before midnight, so it's still my birthday. We're going out to the club. Want to come?"

"No thanks, Gin. I think I'll call it a night." There was no way Sirius could watch Hermione dance more and be able to control himself.

After another round of thanks and invitations to come with them, the rest of the partygoers made their way out of the house. Some were headed home, but most were going off to continue the night. Sirius stood alone on the ground floor and sighed. His house had never felt too big and too quiet until that moment. He could hear music softly playing upstairs, but without people it just wasn't the same. He made his way upstairs to see how much of a mess was left in the parlor.

Sirius stopped short in the doorway. She was still here. He felt this must be fate. Now was his chance and he didn't want to think about it. This wasn't the time for thinking. It was time for Sirius to do what he did best, be reckless.

"You're still here," he said simply.

Hermione started and whirled around, a stack of cups in her hand.

"You're here," she said, following his lead in stating the obvious. "I thought you'd go out with that lot to the club."

"No." Sirius slowly crossed the room toward her, not feeling the need to say more. There was nothing at the club that he wanted. All he wanted was right here.

"I was just…tidying up." Hermione gestured to the cups in her hand. "Hansel and Gretel are popping all of Ginny's presents over to her house."

Sirius took the cups from her hands and set them down on a table.

"We didn't get a chance to dance together tonight." Sirius took her hands in his and pulled her close.

Hermione seemed stiff for a second, but easily sank into him. The song washed over them as they swayed and moved together. The lyrics weren't in English, and Sirius didn't know enough Spanish to understand it fully. Sirius didn't need to know what 'despacito' meant to feel the simmering sex in the song.

"You're a good dancer," she said, clearing her throat slightly.

"Not as good as you. You were amazing tonight."

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes shining. Her tongue moved over her top lip, wetting it. Sirius couldn't stop staring at her lips.

"I surprised you again, like the fighting this week."

"No, it's not surprising. You're good at whatever you do. Smart, talented...sexy." Their hips were pressed together, moving to the rhythm of the song. Sirius had one hand on the small of her back. Hermione's fingertips ghosted over his back, teasing him.

"Not good enough," she retorted wryly. Sirius' eyes snapped up to hers. What could she possibly be talking about? She was good at everything, better than good as far as Sirius was concerned. She held his gaze for a moment. "You left the room."

"Had to," Sirius replied simply. He dipped her backward and swung her in an arc, his hand still on the small of her back. Her hips pressed into his more as she dipped. It would be impossible for her not to feel his arousal. Hermione dropped her head back, exposing the long column of her neck. Sirius placed his other hand over her heart and his fingers danced over her collarbone and up her neck to cradle the back of her head. "I wasn't sure I could control myself."

Hermione turned in his arms, facing away from him. Her arse was cradled against him as they continued to dance.

"And now?" She asked. Her voice was a bit rougher than it had been.

"I've never been good at self control." Sirius buried his face in her hair, taking a deep breath. "It seems I've given up trying."

"How drunk are you?" Hermione turned to face him again and she studied him.

"Not too drunk that I don't know what I'm doing. And drunk enough not to care that this could be a particularly bad idea." Sirius brought one hand up to her face, tracing her lip with her finger. Her eyes shut and she let out a gorgeous, soft moan. "How drunk are you?"

"I think I'm just as drunk as you are."

Sirius stared at her for a second, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright. He stopped moving, just holding her to him without the pretense of dancing. He drew his fingers along her jaw. No matter what happened next, it was worth this moment. Sirius saw no reason to hold back, he'd already gone this far. He leaned in and rubbed his cheek against hers, breathing deeply. She smelled delicious, sweet and floral, but not cloying; uniquely Hermione. She also smelled aroused. Sirius met her eyes and was thrilled to see want, hunger. He grinned.

Their lips met in frenzy. Sirius couldn't say who kissed who first. Maybe they kissed each other. Hermione's hands gripped at his shirt, pulling it as she kissed him. Her lips were sweet and strong, meeting his passion with her own. Sirius needed more of her. He pulled her leg up over his hip, pressing her core to him. Hermione pulled herself up, circling her arms around his neck so she could wrap both legs around his waist.

Sirius stumbled a few steps toward the wall, pressing Hermione between him and the hard surface. Their kiss finally broke, which may have been because Sirius knocked the breath out of the little witch when they hit the wall.

"Sorry," he said, wincing. Sirius was not as smooth as he knew he could be. He felt like a teenager, having his first fumble with a witch. Hermione giggled and buried her fingers into his hair, tugging his lips back to hers.

Sirius lost himself in her, the taste and smell of her. His hand gripped her arse, even though she didn't really need him to hold her up given how tightly her legs wrapped around him and how hard he was pressing her into the wall. Sirius needed to taste more and leaned down to her neck. He could feel her pulse beating fast under her skin and she whimpered as he dragged his teeth lightly across her skin. He pressed his hips into her and Hermione pushed back against him. Soon they were rocking against the wall, breathing heavily and moaning. She pulled at his shirt, popping the buttons off and sending them skittering across the floor. Her mouth, lips, and tongue explored his chest and Sirius didn't think he could take it. He needed more.

Shagging up against the wall didn't seem quite good enough for his witch. Shouldn't there be candles and rose petals? Hermione's hand snaked down into his pants and all thoughts of a more romantic setting flew out the window. There was a sofa close by. That was better than a shag up against the wall, right?

Sirius managed to move them slightly. They were behind the sofa, so he perched Hermione on the top of the sofa back while he stood between her sweet thighs. With more room to maneuver, Hermione unbuttoned his trousers and soon had two hands down his pants.

"Fuck," Sirius groaned into her neck.

"Yes, lets," Hermione responded.

One of Sirius' hands unzipped the back of her dress while the other went up her skirt. Her knickers were soaked and Sirius pushed them aside. Hermione was shoving his trousers and pants down his thighs while Sirius' fingers pressed into her. She gasped and rocked into his hand. She was so warm and wet, so responsive. His thumb grazed her clit and Hermione shuddered.

"I need you inside me." Her voice was husky, but still bossy.

The height of the sofa back was perfect. Sirius could not have been more ready and he was already lined up with where he wanted, needed to be. He pressed himself up to her opening and took a moment. This was Hermione, a witch he actually loved. Sirius had fancied himself the sort of wizard that fell quickly in and out of love, but he had mistaken. That was never love, not like this. He cupped her face and looked into her eyes, dark with lust. Sirius leaned forward and kissed her with everything he had, pouring his feelings into action. Hermione's nails scrape down his shoulder blades as she kissed him back. She squirmed against him, rubbing her wetness over him. The tip of his cock slid just inside her entrance.

"Impatient witch," Sirius teased. He gripped her hips, putting a stop to her squirming for the moment.

"Very impatient," Hermione replied, a devilish grin on her face. She licked his neck and bit down gently right where his neck and shoulder met.

Sirius thrust all the way in and Hermione gasped. He had enough well-placed pride in the size of his cock that he knew most witches needed a moment to become accustomed to him. Hermione leaned her head back and Sirius nipped and sucked on all of the skin he could reach to distract himself from the nearly overwhelming urge to move. After a short moment, Sirius felt her rolling her hips, moving herself along him.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Sirius pulled out and slammed back, hard. Hermione's cry of pleasure only spurred him on. His hands tightened on her hips and Sirius tired to set a measured pace. His vocal witch told him to go faster, to go harder and he was entirely under her spell; her wish was his command. Sirius hooked one over her legs over his arm so he could move like she wanted without pushing her off the sofa. Every groan and cry was music to his ears. Sirius couldn't think of anything better than the sight and sound of his witch coming apart under him. She was glorious, but possibly too sexy at that moment. Sirius needed to come, but he was a firm believer in ladies first.

"Come for me, baby," Sirius growled. "Scream for me."

Sirius shifted her slightly, tilting her hips up. Hermione did indeed begin to scream. She didn't need to tell him to move faster or go harder. She was getting everything he had. Sirius felt her squeeze and flutter around him and knew she was close. He focused on her, every sound she made. When her body went taut and she screamed his name, Sirius let go. He could not recall coming so hard before. His muscles were shaking.

They leaned into each other, panting. Sirius didn't want to pull out. He didn't want this to end. Doubt flooded his mind. What could he possibly offer such a young, vibrant witch for the long-term? What if she only wanted this one night? Well, the night wasn't over.

Sirius let go of her leg and pulled out. He slid the straps of her dress down her arms, pressing kisses into her shoulders as he went. He unhooked her bra and slid that down her arms next. He set her on her feet. She leaned heavily on the sofa, her legs a bit wobbly. Sirius pushed her dress down her hips to pool at her feet. Her knickers, which had been ripped on one side, fell to the floor as well. Hermione stood before him, entirely naked. He stared at her, her lush hips and smooth skin. Her lovely breasts with their dark pink nipples had been entirely neglected. He felt his cock stirring. She moved her hands to cover herself and Sirius quickly caught her wrists.

"Don't you dare." Sirius held her hands for a moment before letting them go. His shirt, buttons ripped off, had been tossed to the side long ago; but his trousers and pants were around his knees. He kicked off his shoes and pushed the rest of his clothes off, stepping out of them. Hermione's eyes found his cock and widened. Sirius always had an excellent refractory time, but tonight he was in rare form. He stepped to her, his hardness brushing against her belly, and ghosted his finger tips across her breasts. Her whimper told him that she wasn't going anywhere just yet.

"I don't think we're done," he told her. Sirius scooped her up into his arms and headed for his room. He needed a bed. He had no idea what would happen in the morning, but Hermione was with him tonight. He was going to worship her body, taste every inch of her and commit her to memory. "You're mine, Hermione, for tonight at least."

Next: Hermione!


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you all for reading! And thank you to bunnyhops for the wonderful beta!

This chapter zigs and zags a bit because Hermione goes through a lot in a short time! I've been told that the ending constitutes a cliffhanger. I am writing the next chapter as we speak, so it shouldn't be too long of a wait. :-)

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling and don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 6

Consciousness hit Hermione like a ton of bricks. One moment she was asleep and the next she was not. Several moments passed during which she honestly thought the events of last night were a dream. She'd dreamed and fantasized about nearly that exact scenario often enough that it wasn't an unreasonable idea.

The arm thrown over her stomach was her first clue that her memory was indeed intact and not a frenzied dream-fantasy brought on by too much alcohol. Her nudity was the second clue. Hermione never fell asleep naked. Years of battles, running, and war had taught her to always be prepared. Several months after the war, she finally stopped sleeping with her old beaded bag under her pillow. She did see her wand over on the bedside table and was glad it was nearby. While it wasn't too hard to put her beaded bag away in the cupboard, she did still keep her wand close while she slept.

Hermione tried to look at Sirius without moving, which was not possible. She didn't want to wake him. So last night wasn't a dream, but it was unbelievable. They were up all night. From the look of the bright sunlight streaming in, it was at least noon.

Hermione bolted upright, which roused the wizard she'd not intended to wake just yet. One look at Sirius' clock and Hermione groaned. It wasn't noon; it was an hour past noon. Sirius stirred next to her, looking up at her with sleepy, concerned eyes. Even first thing in the morning he was gorgeous, which was unfair. Hermione was sure she looked a fright.

"You okay, 'Mione?"

"I overslept," she explained, clutching the sheet to her chest. Hermione knew it was a bit silly to be shy at this point. When they made it to his bed, Sirius seemed to be on a mission to explore every inch of her. This, however, was a new day and Hermione had no idea how Sirius would feel about what they had done last night.

"You hardly slept at all," Sirius countered, yawning and stretching. Hermione stared, she couldn't help it. He was fit and muscled. The array of tattoos and scars did nothing to detract from his beauty. Hermione spied teeth marks on his shoulder and blushed. She had done her own exploring last night and could not see his abdomen without remembering tracing each muscle with her tongue. "Go back to sleep, 'Mione."

"I can't!" Hermione grabbed her wand and looked around for her clothing, trying to focus. Naked Sirius was hard to ignore. "I promised that I would be at the store before noon. The last two weekends before school starts is a very busy time at the shop, everyone needs their school books. I don't see my dress and I definitely need to shower. I have to go home and get clothes, so I'll be even later!"

"Shower here," Sirius offered, sitting up. "I'll find you something to wear."

Hermione nodded and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She paused. If she stood up she would be naked and if she took the sheet with her Sirius would be naked.

"I can look away if that will make you more comfortable."

Hermione thought about it for a moment. He had seen her naked already, and from every conceivable angle.

"Don't be silly." Hermione knew her voice sounded strained and high pitched. She cleared her throat and stood up, trying not to think about it too much. She went directly to the en suite bath and did not look back at the delicious wizard who she left lounging in bed. Part of her was seriously worried that there would be none of the lust that she had seen in his eyes last night. The other part of her was freaking out about parading around starkers in front of Sirius Black of all people. Hermione had never been the type to traipse around nude, although she strongly suspected that Sirius was exactly the type to do such a thing.

Hermione took the shortest shower of her life, very mindful of the time. She did recognize that part of her was relieved that she had to leave very quickly and could avoid any morning-after awkwardness. On autopilot, Hermione went though the series of spells she used to dry and manage her wild hair. It did give her a moment to observe her reflection. Sirius wasn't the only one with teeth marks. She also had love bites all over, going from her neck to her inner thigh. Her hips were shaded with very faint bruises in the shape of hands. She wrapped the large fluffy towel around her and tried to ignore the sore muscles. It hadn't been so long since she'd had sex, only a few months, but she had never felt so thoroughly shagged.

Hermione took a deep breath and walked back out into the bedroom. Sirius was standing at his closet door wearing pajama bottoms. She sighed, but was glad he'd covered up that perfect arse. Last night was a naked time, but morning called for clothes. Hermione would feel better when she had some pajamas for herself; being naked felt a little too vulnerable now.

"You said you'd find me something to wear?"

Sirius spun around, holding a royal blue garment.

"Um, yes. Right." He crossed the room and handed her what looked very much like one of his shirts. "I know a fair number of tailoring charms. I didn't get to be this dapper by wearing ill fitting clothes."

Hermione smiled at his attempt at banter and took the blue shirt. They stood there for a moment and just looked at each other. Hermione had no idea what to say to him and she felt her anxiety building. Was it going to be awkward between them now? Did Sirius regret what happened?

"You'll need a belt," he abruptly announced, turning back to his closet.

While his back was turned, Hermione turned the other way and slipped the shirt on. Sirius had altered a button down shirt into a fairly cute shirt dress. The sleeves were shortened so they stopped just below her elbow and the hem was lengthened to her knees. Given her lack of knickers, Hermione was happy he'd made the dress so long.

"Here you are."

Hermione turned and took the black belt from Sirius. He was appraising his handiwork, looking at her skin exposed at the v-neck collar of the dress. Hermione felt her nipples tighten under his gaze and blushed. She wondered if he had noticed and tried to focus on her task.

"Thank you," she replied, looking at the belt as she fastened it around her waist. She needed to go, genuinely. Her employees were likely rushing around in panic that very moment. She also wanted to go. She needed some space to figure out what had happened between them. If she was being honest, she wanted time; time to put off hearing anything negative and time to prepare for whatever happened next. She generally preferred to think something through, to roll it around in her mind. And what happened between them was so big she needed a moment to process.

"Hermione." Sirius gently tipped her face, so she had to look at him. His brow was furrowed.

"I can't," she blurted out.

"Are you angry with me?"

"No!" Hermione's eyes went a bit wide. Why would she be angry? Last night was the most amazing night of her life. "Of course not! I just can't stay and talk. I absolutely have to go."

"We'll talk later then?" Sirius still looked concerned, but his brow was less furrowed.

Hermione nodded. Sirius leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. It was a far cry from the way he'd kissed her last night and she didn't want to think about it.

Hermione made a hasty retreat, stopping in the parlor to get her shoes before leaving the house and Apparating to Diagon Alley. She had been right about her store. Hermione's apologies for her lateness were well received, but Mandy and Hestia didn't want an explanation. What they wanted was for her to get to work. The two witches had been run ragged since the store opened. Justin was nowhere to be found, so they couldn't divert customers upstairs to the café to have tea or a snack. Hermione opened another cash register next to Hestia and the long line slowly began to diminish.

Justin dragged himself in the door in time for afternoon tea. He wore dark glasses and muttered something about there not being enough Hangover Potion in the world. Hermione couldn't help grinning at the miserable wizard.

"Looks like someone had a good time last night," Hermione teased as she bagged a customer's newly purchased books.

"Looks like I'm not the only one," Justin returned, coming behind the counter to retrieve the pouch of galleons, knuts, and sickles he used to make change upstairs at the café. "At least I remembered to glamour the marks on _my_ neck."

Hermione blushed and rolled her eyes as the customer chuckled at their exchange. She did take a moment to cast a quick glamour with her wand, as Justin had suggested. The work did not stop and Hermione barely had a moment to catch her breath, let alone think about Sirius.

Memories of the previous night would pop into her head unbidden. She shivered a bit at the images of Sirius' face buried between her legs, of his expression when she took him into her mouth, and the way his muscles flexed and moved with her. While it was quite pleasant, Hermione didn't have time to indulge the memories. They did make her smile though.

Sirius stopped by, but Hermione was helping a large group of fifth year Ravenclaw witches find their books. They had a lot of questions and requested supplementary reading materials to expand upon the assigned reading. They were the kind of customer Hermione loved and part of her was glad she didn't have time for Sirius just yet. She hadn't had any time to think about anything except how great he felt. In fact, seeing him made her blush. Hermione seriously hoped that this would be a temporary reaction.

"You weren't kidding about how busy this place would be," Sirius said. He was looking around the store and seemed genuinely surprised.

"Back to school shopping," Hermione said by way of an explanation. She gestured to the young witches surrounding her.

"My apologies for the interruption ladies." Sirius flashed his charming grin at the Ravenclaws, causing a wave a giggles and starry-eyed stares. Hermione was sure they didn't mind the interruption, even when he returned his attention to Hermione. "I brought you something to eat. I felt bad that you didn't get any breakfast, so I wanted to make up for that. From the looks of this place, you haven't had time to eat."

"Thank you, that is so nice." Hermione smiled, appreciating the gesture. "I haven't eaten today."

"I guess you don't have time to talk," Sirius said, looking around again. Hermione thought he looked nervous, which made her very nervous. Was he planning on saying something to her that he knew she wouldn't like? When he finally looked at her, Hermione just shook her head. "Later then?"

"Um..yeah," Hermione managed to say. "I have a late night though. Tomorrow?"

"Okay….if tomorrow is the soonest…"

"It is," Hermione was quick to say. "See you tomorrow!"

Sirius didn't look particularly happy, but nodded. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and left.

"Merlin, he's sexy," one of the Ravenclaws sighed. The other girls nearly all nodded in agreement.

"Focus ladies!" Hermione snapped. "Or do you want to get Es on your O.W.L.s this year?"

A reminder about the O.W.L.s that school year was more than effective. Shortly after Sirius left, Tori came by the shop. Unlike Sirius, she was unsurprised by the hustle and bustle. Also unlike Sirius, Tori did not bother to apologize for interrupting Hermione's customers.

"I meant to come by earlier in the week, but Draco and I have been entertaining Sur Trois while they've been in town."

"It's been a busy week," Hermione agreed, only half paying attention as she continued to check out a customer.

"I left some things in your office," Tori continued. "And I'll see you later tonight."

Hermione didn't get a break until it was nearly dinner time. She made sure both Mandy and Hestia had meal breaks before she went back to her office. Justin was grumpily tending to several groups of students upstairs in the cafe. They were talking about their summers and didn't pay the hung over wizard any mind. The Muggleborn and half blood students were using the Wi-Fi to show their classmates pictures and videos.

Hermione's desk was cluttered with things. She opened the container Sirius brought over. A stasis spell had kept the food inside warm. Hermione immediately dug into the fragrant chicken pie and roasted vegetables, taking care not to eat too fast since she hadn't eaten in a while. She set it aside when it was half finished and focused on other pile on her desk. A thick envelope contained a stack of letters and cards for Siren. Tori had written a description of the flowers on the outside of the card before she sent the flowers over to St. Mungos. Hermione would read them later.

There were six packages piled up, unopened, in a tower. The top box was small and the bottom package was large. Tori really must've had a busy week; she loved opening Siren's gifts. Everything that came into the club was screened for hexes and curses, so Hermione was comfortable opening them all. The first three boxes contained jewelry, two rather nice and one fairly gaudy. Two of the notes contained invitations, one to the fanciest restaurant in Wizarding London and the other to a vacation in the Greek Isles. Both promised more jewels and riches, making Hermione snort and roll her eyes. The third note was nicer and offered the jewelry as a thank you for all the beautiful music Siren gave him. Hermione was almost tempted to keep it. The fourth box was a good size, but very light. That usually meant lingerie. It was a very pretty dark green set, bra with knickers. The note was fairly graphic and not very interesting. The fifth box was heavier and turned out to be filled with about fifty assorted maracons. There was a handy map, listing the flavor of each brightly colored treat. Hermione plucked out a honey and lavender flavored one, and then followed it up with a salted caramel. She set the rest aside to bring with her to the club that night. It was way too many for her to eat by herself.

The last package was heavy. Inside were two smaller packages. The small one contained a very simple necklace with a delicate songbird at the center. Hermione loved it. The larger package felt like a book, which was strange. Siren had never received a book before. She gasped slightly upon opening it. It was a photo history of burlesque and cabaret. Flipping through the first few pages, Hermione adored the stunning images. Tucked into the book about midway was a piece of parchment.

 _Please enjoy these tokens of my esteem. I hope they bring you as much joy as you have brought me in watching you perform. I've never met another witch like you and don't imagine I ever will. You are the epitome of sensuality and grace. It may sound absurd, but I feel a strong connection to you. I feel that you may be important to my future happiness and hope to have the opportunity to meet in person. I am yours at your convenience._

 _Sirius Black_

Hermione felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She couldn't breathe. Was this what Sirius had been trying to talk to her about all day? He wanted to make sure she understood that last night was a one-off, that he was besotted with someone else. What had he said last night? He'd said something about her being his for that night at least. Who said such a thing? A person who only wanted the one night, that was who. Hermione felt so stupid. She had been anxious, but happy and full of warm, silly feelings for him. Now she was numb, in shock.

A tear drop landed on his note and Hermione realized she was crying. She robotically folded the parchment back up and shut it in the book. No, she wouldn't give in to the tears. If she let the heartbreak and tears spill out, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to stop. She had another two hours before she could close up shop, and then she had a performance to give. Siren had performed every night the club had been open.

Hermione scooped the envelope of letters and the packages into her bag. She wouldn't touch Sirius' gifts. In fact, she didn't want to look at them. Hermione draped a spare cardigan over the book and the necklace, pretending that they didn't exist.

Hermione left her office and worked like a machine, doing but not feeling. All of her employees separately and independently asked her if she was okay over the next two hours. Several customers even asked her if she was all right. Hermione made assurances of her well-being and plastered on a fake smile when that seemed necessary. Doing what needed to be done; Hermione closed up the shop and made her way to the club.

The Floo in her shop and her house went directly into her private dressing room. She needed to keep moving. Stopping to think would not be good. Hermione unceremoniously dumped her bag on the floor and cast about for her next task. She had an hour until show time. Her eyes fell on the dresses she'd planned to wear that evening and she froze. There was a frothy pink backless piece that went perfectly with her breathy, sultry version of Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. A long green velvet dress with strategically placed sheer panels was set out for one of her staples, the incomparable Nina Simone. She was supposed to do Simone's Feeling Good, but Hermione wasn't feeling good at all. Faced with the prospect of putting on her Siren persona, Hermione froze. She didn't think she could be sexy and peppy, singing about having fun or feeling good.

Hermione barely registered the knock on her door. It could be one of four witches. Ginny, Tori, Lori, or Charlotte generally came to inspect her disguise, make costume suggestions, or help with finishing touches. Lori and Charlotte were the only dancers who knew her real identity. Today it was both Lori and Charlotte together; both already dressed for their first number. They peered in the room and saw Hermione standing in the middle of the room, not dressed. This was unusual and they immediately looked concerned, both slipping in and shutting the door behind them.

"What's wrong?" Lori asked, taking her hands and looking Hermione over for injury.

"I can't," Hermione whispered.

"Can't what, sweetheart?" Charlotte asked, placing her hand on Hermione's back.

Lori and Charlotte were strong, tough witches. Hermione couldn't imagine either of them letting heartbreak get the better of them and felt embarrassed. The two of them had been a couple for three years, so any experience of heartache was long past. Maybe they wouldn't understand.

"I can't pretend to be happy," Hermione finally said. She could feel tears brimming in her eyes but blinked them back.

"Oh no, what happened?" Lori asked.

"Who do I need to hex?" Charlotte demanded at the same time.

"I have to go on," Hermione reported, avoiding both questions. She certainly wasn't equipped to explain without breaking down, so she took a deep breath.

"You don't have to," Lori soothed, rubbing her arms.

"I do," Hermione argued, straightening up. She was brave and strong. "I've sung here every night that the club has been open. I'm not going to let some wizard take that away from me."

"That's right," Charlotte nodded. "Maybe you just need a change of song? Something that says, fuck you, I don't need you!"

"I don't think a 'fuck you' song would quite fit the Siren image," Lori chided her partner. Hermione snorted.

"True. Siren is supposed to be charming and beguiling," Hermione said wryly. "Her fans won't like being told to fuck off. But maybe another type of song would work."

"If you insist on going on tonight, maybe just one performance?" Lori suggested, still looking worried for her.

Hermione nodded and wrote down the name of a song in her repertoire followed by brief lighting instructions. She handed the parchment to Charlotte.

"Can you give this to Blaise? And tell him I'm only doing this one tonight?"

Charlotte nodded and went off.

"Lori, can you find me flowers? Bring whatever you can find and I'll choose what works."

Lori nodded and took off. Feeling able to handle the song she chose, Hermione set to work creating her look for the evening.

When Lori returned with an armful of blooms, Hermione was assessing Siren in the full length mirror. The dress she chose was sheer, but she was fully covered as usual. She wore a pewter colored strapless bra and matching knickers that provided full coverage. The sheer fabric of the dress was a very pale dove grey and had scattered lines of beads running down the fragile fabric. The beads were grey, with hints of blue and green; the colors mixing so that they looked like water running down the dress. Hermione has spelled her hair so it was white blonde, long and straight, parted down the center. The last sixteen centimeters transitioned from the white blonde to pewter grey at the tips. Her mask was a lighter dove grey and Hermione had painted her lips a very dark red, almost black.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked Lori.

"Sexy, but somber. And you almost have Malfoy hair," Lori smirked. Hermione snorted. That was unintentional but Lori was right. She didn't feel colorful and bright, so she was going for colorless.

Lori set the flowers down and wished Hermione luck before going to take her place. Hermione could hear Blaise's patter, muffled through the walls. She had time and began to sift through all the flowers Lori found. When she came to a small bunch of white anemones with dark centers, Hermione separated those from the others. She recalled that this particular flower represented being left behind, forsaken.

Hermione stepped into her heels, charmed pewter to match her ensemble. She rather liked wearing heels, but hardly ever wore them in her real life. Hermione took one last look at herself and impulsively constructed a little crown out of some of the anemone. She did look like a mix of sexy and somber, like the tragic Ophelia in a push-up bra.

Hermione left her dressing room. Back stage was bustling, as usual. People gave her a lot of space, as usual. Only a handful of people were told who Siren really was and if anyone else had figured it out, they hadn't said anything to her about it. She stood in the wings and watched the girls take off the last bits of their costumes to Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman. Sammy would do his 'magic' act and then she would go on.

"I got your note," Blaise said as he sidled up to her. "Are you okay?"

Hermione nodded. She couldn't talk about Sirius now. She was trying to be Siren.

"How do I look?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.

"Gorgeous, as usual," Blaise responded, giving her a look that said he knew she was avoiding his question. "You're lucky that Ginny is distracted by a costuming problem for the last act."

They both knew Ginny would pry until she spilled, but now wasn't the time. Blaise gently put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed, careful not to disturb her delicate beaded dress or flowers. Hermione gave him a squeeze back, tears threatening again.

"Thank you, Blaise. I'll be upstairs."

Blaise nodded and Hermione made her way up the moveable staircase backstage. She would start her song on a balcony and make her way down a curved staircase, so she was at the front of the stage. Upstairs, on the catwalk she listened to Sammy the Squib and the laughter from the crowd. Hermione suddenly realized that Sirius could be there. She hadn't considered it before because she didn't really associate him with the club. This was her place, not his. She had a moment of panic. Why wouldn't Sirius come? Clearly he loved Siren. He wrote she was important to his happiness, which is what he said about Blaise and Ginny. Recalling the wording of his note made her throat tighten.

Blaise encouraged the crowd to give another round of applause for Sammy and Hermione knew she didn't have time to panic. She was on. She just wouldn't look for Sirius. She would find another person to focus on in the audience or look at the back wall. Once the spotlight was on her it would be hard to see the audience, which would be nice.

"Now, ladies and gentleman, here to melt your hearts," Blaise announced. "The one and only, Siren!"

Hermione stepped out onto the landing, in the darkness. She spied Lucius Malfoy, his white blond hair standing out in the crowd. He would be easy to use as a focal point. She pulled her shoulders back and took a breath to settle her nerves. Hermione had stuck her wand in among the flowers she carried instead of concealing it on her forearm. She cast a Sonorus on herself and the spotlight found her.

The crowd burst out into applause and Hermione closed her eyes. She let the adoration wash over her and felt less alone than she had a minute before.

"Thank you, my darlings," she cooed. Hermione lifted her bouquet of flowers to her face, inhaled their sweet aroma, and lowered her arm; letting the petals slowly caress her skin. "Into every life a little rain must fall, but being with you all makes it better."

Hermione took a few slow, deliberate steps down the staircase. She looked down at her blooms, plucked petals and dropped them as she went.

 _**Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by Carole King**_

"Tonight you're mine, completely," Hermione sang slowly. Her version of this song had a slightly slower tempo than the original. "You give your soul so sweetly. Tonight the light of love is in your eyes. Will you love me tomorrow?"

Hermione's eyes began to water and she poured all of her sadness into the next part of the song. She made her way down a few more stairs. She thought she could hear her own heartbreak in her voice, singing wistfully about the magic of his sighs. When she asked that question again a second time, will he love her tomorrow, she felt a tear escape and knew she couldn't hold back any longer. She was looking into the crowd at Lucius because she knew that was one place where Sirius wasn't. His grey eyes bored into hers, but she wasn't really seeing the Malfoy patriarch. Her mind was filled with Sirius.

"Tonight with words unspoken, you said that I'm the only one," Hermione belted out. The sting and hurt she felt danced around every word. She reached out with her arms toward the audience, beseeching them to feel her pain. "But will my heart be broken, when the night meets the morning star?"

Hermione knew tears were coming now and cast a modified Aguamenti. Raindrops began to fall softly around her. By the time she reached the bottom of the staircase, the sheer panels of the dress were fairly wet and sticking to her skin. The lighting she asked for should make her glitter slightly, the beading adding to the watery look.

"Will you still love me tomorrow?" Hermione sang, reaching out to her audience. She repeated that question a second time and clutched her flowers to her chest. On the third, and last, repetition of that question, Hermione sat down on a step. She felt spent and emotionally raw. Performing was such a rush and made her feel things to keenly. Usually it was confidence, sexiness, mischievousness, or fun; but tonight was not one of those nights.

The music gradually grew distant and the spotlight faded out as well. Hermione took a deep breath and focused so she could Apparate herself back to her dressing room, like she usually did at the end of a performance. It had been Draco's idea that Siren just disappear, leaving the audience even more curious about the mystery singer.

Hermione was surprised that she made it back to her dressing room without splinching. She sat at her mirror, her head down on the table, crying.

"Oh you dear thing," Lori soothed, rubbing her back. Hermione hadn't even heard the other witch come in. "I only have a moment. Blaise is trying to restore the spirits of the crowd. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Ginny, Charlotte, and I think you should Floo over to our house and we can all have a sleepover tonight. We have the second half of the show, but you can go now and take a nice bath or shower. Pajamas are in the second drawer, so you can be cozy."

Hermione nodded, happy to have a plan of action. She really hadn't wanted to be alone that night either. Lori was gone as quickly as she'd come. Hermione took off her mask, outfit, and shoes; casting a drying charm over everything, so it wouldn't sit around wet in her dressing room. She put her regular clothes back on, but didn't bother to change her hair back. The charm usually wore off within a couple hours. Then she would be back to herself, plain old Hermione.

To make up for being so late Saturday, Hermione arrived at her store Sunday morning well ahead of everyone else armed with pastries for her staff. It was bound to be an equally demanding day, so she busied herself with the reshelving and organizing she hadn't had time for the day before. Books had a way of migrating around; mostly as customers browsed and discarded some choices, but some went about on their own.

Hermione's night with Ginny, Lori, and Charlotte had been nice. They soothed and sympathized; providing the requisite hard liquor and ice cream. Hermione was encouraged to pour out the whole story, going over her innocent crush on Sirius and how it had evolved into something much more grown up in the past few years. Hermione kept much of the details about her night with Sirius to herself, despite encouragement to give specifics. She did share that it had been amazing, mind blowing even. Sex with a new partner always had the potential to be awkward while you learned what the other person wanted, what they liked. She and Sirius just fit, or so she thought.

The other witches appropriately winced when Hermione received Sirius' love letter and gifts, which were not addressed to her. Ginny called Sirius a magnificent idiot and rolled her eyes. Charlotte offered to teach Hermione a bollocks removal spell, which Hermione declined after only a few moments consideration. Lori tried to give Sirius the benefit of the doubt, saying maybe he loved Siren and then fell in love with Hermione. In the end, they all agreed that wizards could be stupid, but they did encourage Hermione to hear him out.

Hermione focused on her work and tried not to think about Sirius. She wasn't exactly opposed to hearing Sirius out, but she felt so vulnerable. Had she thrown herself at him the other night? Hermione tried very hard to remember who kissed who first, but couldn't. He was saying such beautiful things about her, implying that he found her sexy. Hermione remembered pulling his shirt off, sending buttons flying. It was everything she wanted and it felt like she had jumped him, like she was the aggressor that first time. She wanted him so much, maybe she misread the situation and saw more than was really there. Hermione felt they could recover their friendship, but not until some time had passed.

The store was as busy as Hermione expected, but everyone was present and ready to work. She even managed to get a lunch break, even if it was eating a sandwich from the upstairs café in her office. She was almost relaxed when she heard a throat clearing. Looking up, she became tense again.

"Sirius," she said coughing. She nearly choked on her lunch.

"Hi, 'Mione," he responded looking sheepish. Why did he look sheepish? Where was the confident, dashing wizard with the charming smile? Maybe he felt guilty. "I couldn't seem to catch up with you yesterday."

"It was mad here, as you saw."

"I went by your flat last night too. I know you said you were working late, but I thought I might catch you."

"I was…visiting friends."

"Look, 'Mione, I'm sorry." Oh, Merlin, this was it. Sirius was here to let her down gently. "I didn't mean to upset you. If I did…"

"Don't," Hermione interrupted. "I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not upset. I don't fancy the idea that the person I'm with wishes they were with someone else, but then I can't imagine who would enjoy that."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius looked confused.

"Right, you don't know that I know." Hermione shook her head at herself. Sirius just looked lost. Part of her was perversely pleased to regain some sense of control over this debacle.

Hermione stood up from her desk and whisked the cardigan off the offending gifts that she had left untouched. She picked up the book and marched over to Sirius, who stood in her doorframe. Hermione shoved the book into his chest, rather hard if she did say so herself. Sirius appeared stunned, not really registering what was happening. He looked at the book, a book he must have carefully selected, for nearly ten seconds before his eyes went wide with recognition.

"How did you get this?"

"You asked everyone you met if you knew who Siren was, but you never thought to ask me," Hermione scowled. "Mousy little Hermione Granger couldn't possibly know anyone like that. Well, Siren doesn't want this and neither do I, so you can have it back!"

Hermione pushed past Sirius and stomped out of the store, her self-righteous fury already giving way to tears. She picked up her pace, not wanting Sirius to see her cry. Tears were blurring her vision as she barreled down the walkway outside. Given her state, it was not surprising that she ran right into another person.

"Pardon me, Miss Granger."

Hermione gripped the person she hit to keep from falling and looked up at the perfectly polished, slightly surprised Lucius Malfoy.

"Oh great, Lucius Malfoy," Hermione cried out. He always made her feel unrefined and rough on a good day. Of course she would run right into him on the street whilst having an emotional breakdown. "Yet another wizard to make me feel badly about myself."

Hermione let go of him to wipe her eyes and lost her footing. Lucius reached out and caught her arm. She noticed the glint of pity in his eyes and swatted his arm away.

"I don't need you!" Hermione hadn't meant to shout quite so loud at the elder Malfoy.

"Miss Granger, recovered though it may be, my reputation cannot take news of my injuring an illustrious war heroine and one third of the Golden Trio." Lucius maintained his grip on her and was looking around to determine how much attention they were drawing from passersby.

"You aren't the one who injured me," Hermione sobbed softly. She went back to wiping her eyes, imagining how she must look.

"Nevertheless, that will be what the Prophet says tomorrow if you don't pull yourself together. I thought you were a tough witch."

"I am tough!" Hermione's plaintive wail belied the purpose of her message slightly.

Lucius gripped her upper arm and steered her down a side street. He was forceful, but gentle, as directed her into a little tea shop she frequented. He sat her down at a booth in the back corner and flagged down a server, ordering a pot of strong tea.

If anyone had told Hermione that she would have a half hour of tea and sympathy from Lucius Malfoy she would've said they'd gone batty. They were civil to each other the few times they crossed paths, but Hermione would not have called him a friend. Lucius was surprisingly kind and Hermione felt she owed him some explanation for her outburst.

Without getting too specific, Hermione shared that had feelings for a wizard who wanted someone else. Lucius was no stranger to suffering, but did admit that he was generally lucky in love. The older wizard gave her a broad wink as he boasted about his way with the witches, making Hermione smile despite herself. Lucius really was quite a flirt. He also reminded her that there were plenty of Grindylows in the Lake and that she was a catch herself; one many wizards would seek out. He reminded her that you can't make someone love you, and you wouldn't want to even if you could. It was nice hear, even if they were general platitudes.

Hermione went back to her store much more composed, feeling more herself. Regardless, she was very pleased to see no trace of Sirius. Hermione was able to finish out the day focused on work. Harry did come by around dinner time to say that he wasn't getting involved in whatever was going on between her and Sirius but that they better work something out. Hermione shooed him away, but did understand why he came. Harry didn't have any family, just the family he'd made for himself over the years. She and Sirius were two of the closest people to Harry. If there was animosity between them, it would hurt Harry.

Hermione stayed late and caught up on paperwork, realizing that she was avoiding thinking too much by throwing herself into work. It was late when she left and she decided to walk a bit to stretch her legs after sitting so long. The Apparition point was only a few blocks away, but any exercise was better than none at all.

There were a few lights on in her building, which Hermione generally found comforting. Even if she lived alone, she liked that there were people nearby. She didn't even mind walking up to her flat on the fourth floor. Hermione knew the couple on the first floor well enough to be invited by for dinner from time to time. The wizard on the second floor traveled a great deal for the Ministry and was hardly home. The witch just under her on the third floor had a demanding job at Gringotts and Hermione rarely saw her either.

Hermione stopped in her tracks at the top of the stairs. There was something hanging right outside her door. It looked like a white lump on the end of a rope. She approached it cautiously, pulling out her wand and gripping it tightly. Closer she could see that it was a large bird, specifically a white peacock, dead. A parchment was pinned to the rope around the bird's neck. It didn't need to be unfolded. It read:

 _My_ _Dearest Siren,_

 _He won't be bothering you anymore. I've made certain of that._

 _You have my eternal love and devotion._

Hermione shivered at the unsigned note and looked around, but there was no one there. Whoever had left it was gone. It was like a scene from a horror thriller. Hermione realized it was addressed to Siren, but at her apartment and her body went cold. She also realized that there was only one place she had ever seen white peacocks. She had to find Draco!

Next: Sirius!


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you to the ever-delightful Bunnyhops for the wonderful beta! And thank you all for reading and reviewing. Folks have so many thoughts on who is in the wrong - Sirius or Hermione! Interesting! :-)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Now: Are all the Malfoys okay? We'll see! ;-)

Chapter 7

Sirius was at a loss. He had no idea what to do. Usually, when things got hard he would skip town and move on to another adventure. Part of him was itching to do exactly that, to run off and lick his wounds. Norway was nice in the summer. He could get some distance and try to figure out how he had made such a bloody mess of things. He had wanted Hermione so badly, but didn't think he could have her, so he pursued Siren to try to take his mind off his friend. Then he actually got to be with Hermione, which was the best night of his life. Somehow she found out about his pursuit of Siren. Of course she was offended, who wouldn't be?

Sirius had stood in Hermione's office doorway, holding the book he sent Siren, stunned. It had taken him several moments to even identify the book that Hermione thrust into his hands. Honestly, Sirius had not given any thought to Siren since his night with Hermione. He finally shuffled out in a daze, making his way back home. He stood in the doorway to his parlor, unwilling to go in. He was standing in the hall when Harry bounded up the stairs.

"Hey Sirius," the younger wizard greeted him. "I came by for that book about detecting Dark Magic artifacts you mentioned the other night. Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes," Sirius responded after a moment. "I was just thinking about going to Norway."

"I thought you were going to stay until the New Year this time." Harry did look disappointed, which made Sirius feel even worse. He had promised to stick around for a while.

"Right, I was," Sirius agreed. "Hermione is angry with me and I think some distance might help."

"Hermione? She loves you, she doesn't want you to leave," Harry argued.

"I can't really go into it." Sirius rubbed his face. "Just know that she isn't very happy with me right now."

Sirius sighed and watched the other wizard's expression grow pensive and concerned. Harry was his family and Sirius did not wish to disappoint him, but this had become complicated. Knowing Harry, the young wizard would want to help; but Sirius knew he had to work this out on his own.

"I have to get that book over to Thompson at the office. We're working on something a bit time sensitive." Harry looked a bit exasperated. "Don't do anything just yet, okay? I'll come by this evening, around dinner time."

Sirius agreed, but then found himself at a loss for what to do with his afternoon. For the first time he could recall, Sirius wished he had a job to focus on. He knew he didn't want to hang around his big, empty house on his own, so he jumped on his broom. Flying always cleared his head.

Sirius flew for hours and actually felt better for it. He got home, washed up, and was generally presentable when Harry arrived that evening. The two wizards had a nice companionable dinner. Sirius insisted that Harry talk about his work, stalling a bit, and the younger man agreed. His Auror work sounded challenging, but he knew Harry was up to the task. Harry was happy to be sought after and well respected in his Department for his skills, not for his fame.

It was quite late by the time Harry insisted that it was Sirius' turn to talk. Sirius eventually shared, in the most general terms, that something had happened between him and Hermione Friday night. Harry seemed pleased instead of disturbed. Sirius went on to explain that he had been pursuing another witch, thinking Hermione would never have him, and that Hermione found out.

"That's pretty bad," Harry sighed, leaning back in his chair. Dinner was long gone. Remnants of dessert still lingered and Sirius picked at them. "Hermione probably feels hurt and a bit angry. She does have a temper. And she isn't as confident and self-assured when it comes to dating as she is about the rest of her life."

"But how do I fix it?"

"You have to talk to her, explain that you don't want this to be a one-off thing."

"Put myself out there then…" Sirius was not comfortable with being so vulnerable. He was raised to keep sensitive feelings to himself. The feelings he shared, the ones he broadcast to the world, were generally full of bravado and happiness.

"This is Hermione we're talking about," Harry soothed. "She isn't cruel or vindictive. She is the kindest, most forgiving person we know."

Sirius was nodding along. She was all that. Abruptly, a white Otter burst into the room; startling both wizards. It was Hermione's Patronus!

"Harry, I need you at my flat as soon as possible. It's an emergency!" The otter spoke with Hermione's voice. She sounded calm enough, but definitely on edge. The two wizards immediately stood, sending their chairs toppling over.

"Let's go! Floo will be fastest," Harry instructed. Sirius hesitated for a moment. She hadn't asked for him, but he couldn't possibly stay away if Hermione needed help.

Within moments, Sirius was stepping out into Hermione's flat, a half-second behind Harry. Hermione stood facing them, her wand raised and ready. When she recognized them, she let out a breath and lowered her wand.

"'Mione, are you okay?" Harry asked first. He went to Hermione and was examining her for injury, just as Sirius was trying to do visually.

"I'm fine at the moment," Hermione replied, putting an arm around her worried friend. Her eyes met Sirius' concerned gaze and her brow furrowed. She didn't want him there. Well, Sirius didn't care. He would leave once he was assured of her safety. Hermione seemed very on edge. She responded to the Floo ready to defend herself, so she was clearly not fine as she had claimed. No, she was ready for an attack.

"You said it was an emergency," Sirius said. "And you don't seem fine at all."

"I have not been injured, then. Is that specific enough?" Hermione retorted snappishly.

"What happened?" Harry intervened.

Hermione looked to the closed front door of her flat and then back over to Sirius. She seemed to be considering something. Sirius wasn't going anywhere, his crossed arms and firm stance sending her that message. She'd have to throw him out if she wanted him to leave.

"Over here," Hermione finally said, leading them toward her door. "I haven't touched it. I Apparated home about fifteen minutes ago and found this when I came up the steps."

Hermione opened the door and Harry moved into her doorway. He was slightly blocking Sirius' view, but he could see that the Auror had his wand out, ready for anything.

"Well, that's disturbing," Harry muttered. Sirius stepped into the doorway as well, not caring if Hermione didn't want him so close to her.

A huge white bird hung dead at the end of a length of rope. A parchment was tacked to the bird's long, graceful neck, now limp in death.

"Read the note, Harry," Hermione said softly.

Harry leaned forward and gasped. Sirius was getting frustrated. He tamped down the urge to push Harry aside so he could see everything.

"It's a white peacock," Hermione stated. "So I sent my Patronus to Draco immediately, asking him to come to my flat right away if he was able. I'll admit to being quite panicked while I waited to see if he would respond. He was here within a few minutes, thank Merlin."

"So he's okay," Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"He was at the family townhouse. They only have peacocks at the Manor, so he went to check on Lucius while I called you. Draco's has been gone about ten minutes."

Sirius was confused. He knew the Malfoys kept white peacocks, quite famously in fact. It made sense to associate that bird with that family, but what did that have to do with Hermione? Sirius bit back his curiosity while Harry cast a series of detection spells every Auror should be intimately familiar with, as well as some fairly obscure spells.

"I'm going to bring it down now and levitate it to a table," Harry said. "And then I'm going to go over to Malfoy Manor if we don't hear back from Draco very soon."

Hermione dashed back into her flat and emerged with a sheet to drape over the low table in her lounge. The long tail feathers of the peacock draped down onto the floor. Harry produced a clear pouch and the parchment zipped inside.

"There is a very slight trace magical signature on the rope, indicating magic was used to attach it to the ceiling; but it was such a simple spell that the trace left probably won't be enough to compare to known signatures," Harry reported with a sigh. "The bird's neck is broken and there's no evidence of a killing curse, so it must've been done by hand. I'll bring the note back to Auror headquarters and see if there is anything special about the parchment or ink. The biggest clue is the note itself."

Harry passed the now covered note over to Sirius and he read the text. Siren? Why was this note addressed to Siren and left at Hermione's house? The note clearly intimated that a wizard had been harmed on Siren's behalf, but why would Hermione be involved?

"Hermione, can you make a list of people who know that you are Siren?" Harry asked.

Sirius' head snapped up. Hermione just nodded and went over to her desk. She cast him a sideways glance but said nothing. Hermione is Siren? The note was sent to her. The author knew what Sirius hadn't. Clearly Harry knew. Sirius wondered how many people knew. Was he so thick that he hadn't figured it out for himself? His feelings were a jumble. He was relieved in part, because maybe he actually hadn't done anything untoward. He was perusing Hermione and he had slept with Hermione, so he wasn't the heartless cad he'd felt he was, technically speaking at least.

Sirius was also hurt and angry. Hermione was one of his best friends. Harry clearly knew and he imagined everyone at the club did as well; Ginny, Blaise, Draco, Astoria, and even Neville. Yet Sirius remained in the dark. Hermione wrote him letters every few weeks, but she left out this fairly substantial detail. Sirius thought she trusted him, that they were close. But she had become a singing ingénue and never mentioned it; some friendship that was.

"You and I are going to talk about this very soon, Hermione," Sirius announced, fuming. He couldn't help the growl in his voice.

Hermione nodded curtly, but didn't respond. She looked ready for an argument though. Well, Sirius would give her one. All of this made more sense now. Someone who admired Siren, and there were many, had done something bad. At the very least, they came to her home. Sirius was still very angry, but also concerned for Hermione. An overzealous fan could be dangerous and his witch better not try to dismiss this incident. Hermione stood and handed her parchment to Harry. He looked between Hermione and Sirius, perplexed at Sirius' outburst most likely.

"He isn't on this list, so he's upset," Hermione said to the younger wizard.

Harry rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh.

"I don't know what's going on between you two, but we have an actual problem now," Harry scolded. "I trust that two people, who love and care for each other will work out whatever misunderstanding occurred, even two as stubborn as you both! In the mean time, the Malfoys may be under threat. And I for one like the Malfoys well enough that I don't want them Avada'd somewhere in a ditch, even Lucius!"

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," came an aristocratic voice from the still open doorway. "I am flattered."

Draco and Lucius were standing just outside Hermione's flat, the older wizard looking a bit bedraggled. Hermione rushed to the doorway, urging them to come in.

"Are you all right, Lucius?" Hermione asked anxiously, scanning the wan looking wizard for injury. "We were worried when Draco was taking so long."

"I'm fine," Lucius assured her, patting Hermione on the shoulder as she walked him into the flat. Sirius narrowed his eyes at the older Malfoy; a Malfoy he knew for a fact was quite fond of Siren. Even Lucius knew? When they saw the show together the previous weekend, Lucius had seemed as interested as Sirius in finding out more about Siren.

"You don't look fine," Sirius commented wryly. He had never seen Lucius look anything but polished and well turned out. His robes were rumpled and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"He's not fine," Draco put in, scowling. "I found him unconscious at the Manor. I called the family healer and we revived him."

Hermione gasped and gestured for Lucius to sit down. Sirius was shocked and he saw that Harry was appropriately troubled as well. Whoever left the dead bird confessed to harming someone and this sounded serious. Lucius Malfoy was a hard person to take down.

"It takes more than a little poison to kill a Malfoy," Lucius scoffed, voicing Sirius' thoughts. Sirius' eyes went wide. Someone had poisoned Lucius? "Malfoys are inoculated against standard poisons starting at birth, but most people don't know that. Even if the effects of the poison aren't fatal, they aren't pleasant. Our family healer gave me a restorative potion, and I should be back to myself soon enough."

"Even so, that is attempted murder!" Harry exclaimed.

"Which is why we are here," Lucius said, narrowing his eyes on the dead peacock on Hermione's table. "Draco said that the attempt against me was somehow related to Hermione."

"It's the assumption we are making, yes," Harry reported.

Draco reached into his robes and pulled out a glass tumbler and a nearly empty decanter of Firewhisky, which he handed over to Harry.

"I put a stasis spell on it all," Draco explained. "This glass was next to him on the floor. I assume Aurors can ascertain the type of poison used and generate some clue as to who is behind this."

"Mr. Malfoy, was this bird one of yours?" Harry asked, gesturing to the dead white peacock.

Lucius leaned toward the bird and lifted one of the talons.

"Yes, it is," Lucius replied, his voice like stone. He was clearly angry. "All the Malfoy peacocks have a small band that prevents them from wandering out of the warded areas of the grounds."

"I wondered what that was," Harry said nodding. Sirius hadn't even noticed the thin white band. It blended right in with the bird's coloring. "But how did someone get into Malfoy Manor in order to plant the poison and take the bird?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Lucius seethed. "It's a bit late for the former Death Eater reprisals after all these years."

"I don't think you were targeted because of the war," Sirius spoke up. He handed Lucius the note he still held in his hand. "It was because of your relationship with Siren."

"What relationship?" Hermione asked as Lucius read the note.

"Well. You are a very talented witch, Hermione," Lucius said, a glint in his eye that Sirius did not appreciate one bit. "I am a fan of your work."

Hermione blushed slightly and Sirius clenched his jaw. He did not care for the predatory look in the other wizard's eye. Lucius was so bloody smooth, accepting this new information with grace. Sirius had seen him watch her and knew how much Lucius fancied Siren. He was acting as if he heard every day that Hermione Granger was the elusive singer, no big deal.

"I think one of Siren's fans believes that Lucius harmed her and was seeking to punish him," Sirius announced. "The poisoning and the bird were gifts to her."

"Why would anyone think Father had anything to do with her?" Draco asked, looking concerned. Obviously he knew Hermione's alter-ego.

"I don't know," Sirius shrugged. He didn't understand the fan's logic, if there even was logic at work. "Sometimes fans cross lines, assume a relationship with someone they admire because they feel so strongly on their side."

"Don't I know it," Harry muttered. Hermione looked at her best friend, troubled, clearly remembering Harry's own past run-ins with ardent fans after the war.

"The song you sang last night was heartbreaking," Lucius spoke up. "And you were looking at me for a good part of it."

Hermione's brow knitted and Sirius' chest ached. She sang a song about heartbreak, for him?

"I heard about that song," Draco added. "Blaise had a time of it trying to get the crowd back into the spirit of things, everyone was so bloody weepy. Drink sales did go up though, so it was good for business in the long run."

"I can't imagine singing a song at Lucius, even a really sad one, would have caused this," Harry said skeptically.

"Oh! Tea this afternoon," Hermione blurted out, looking a bit horrified. She sat next to Lucius and put her hand on his arm. "I am so sorry!"

"What happened?" Sirius demanded, his tone more sharp than he'd intended. Everything with Hermione was a mess and he hated how comfortable she seemed with Lucius of all people.

"You came to see me today at the shop and I got…upset," Hermione answered Sirius, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "I left the shop and ran straight into Lucius on the street. I was still upset and possibly made a bit of a scene. Lucius was kind enough to steer me into a tea shop. We sat and chatted for a while. Oh, this is all my fault! You could've been killed just because you gave me a shoulder to cry on."

"Don't blame yourself, Hermione," Lucius responded, a definite purr in his voice. He placed his large hand over Hermione's small one. Sirius recognized it as a calming, reassuring gesture but wanted nothing more than to pull his witch into his arms to soothe her himself. "This is not your fault. You've done nothing but share your beautiful gift."

"How many fans do you have?" Harry asked Hermione. "If there are only one or two admirers, our suspect pool will be easy to manage!"

Harry looked hopeful, but Draco shook his head.

"Siren receives over a dozen things every week and has since the club opened," Draco reported. "People send gifts, flowers, and letters to the club."

"I have a record of it all," Hermione announced. She looked a bit abashed. "Well, I mean, I've kept the letters, the notes that came with flowers, and I've written down a list of gifts and who they were from; even for the gifts I returned."

"That would be extremely helpful," Harry said, brightening.

Sirius grinned wryly as Hermione went back to her bedroom. Of course Hermione Granger would keep a catalogue of all of Siren's fan mail. She loved keeping information orderly and properly filed. He wondered if it was arranged alphabetically or chronologically. Finally, she emerged with a scarlet box that looked about twice the size of a shoe box.

"There's an extension charm on it," Hermione admitted. "It has all the letters and notes sent to the club for Siren. There's a small notebook where I've kept track of the gifts as well. Oh, wait one moment."

Hermione had been passing the box over to Harry but stopped and removed the lid. She perused the contents for a second and plucked out a letter. She put the lid back on and handed the box over; only to be met with Harry's expectant stare, his eyes on the letter in her hand.

"You don't need to read this one," Hermione said, sliding the letter into her pocket. "Lucius didn't try to poison himself after all."

"Aw, you wrote to her, Father?" Draco said, cringing slightly.

"Hermione sang me a lovely song for my birthday, it was only polite to thank her for that honor," Lucius responded loftily. The glint in his eye made Sirius sure that there was more in that letter than a simple thanks.

"This is the first time anyone has sent anything to _Hermione_ , though," Draco observed, shaking himself a bit. "Someone knows that Hermione is Siren and where she lives, Potter."

"You can't stay here, Hermione," Harry told her ruefully, stating the obvious as far as Sirius was concerned. "And you shouldn't stay at the Manor, Lucius, until we determine the threat."

"Hermione can stay with me," Sirius immediately volunteered. He looked at her worried face and suppressed an urge to wrap her in his arms. He was so used to hugging her, to holding her, even before they slept together. Sirius wanted to make her feel better, to feel safe. And if he knew his little Gryffindor hero, she wasn't going to leave anyone behind. "And Lucius, you are welcome if you need a place as well."

"Are you sure that would be secure?" Harry asked. "You had over a hundred people there just this past Friday night. We have no idea who we are looking for, but the person knows Hermione and that party was full of people that know Hermione."

"The place was made Unplottable by my ancestors, to protect the House of Black," Sirius sighed. It was always such a pain in his arse. He could never have friends over when he was younger. Who lived in an Unplottable house? No one! Azkaban and the Isle of Drear were Unplottable, not private residences. "Now that I'm the Master of the house, I can counteract the charm. In fact, I have to do it at least twice a year to keep the place visible to magical folk. It would be a simple thing to let the charm activate. It's built into the very walls of the place. As soon as it reactivates, it will be as it was before. Number 12 Grimmauld Place will disappear from all Wizarding maps and no one will be able to Apparate there, except those that I've granted special permission. It's quite a powerful spell, actually."

"The Blacks always were…private," Lucius agreed.

Sirius knew he meant to say paranoid, or even downright barmy. Fanaticism and madness ran rampant through his family tree, he was well aware. That was how Sirius knew that Hermione could be in real danger. He'd personally seen how people behave when they were motivated by madness. He wasn't keen on having Lucius there as well, but Hermione wouldn't forgive herself if something happened to the older Malfoy.

"No one would look for Father there, that's for sure," Draco snorted.

"The would-be-killer wouldn't look for Lucius at all," Hermione announced. She had that look she got whenever she had a new idea. Sirius loved that look. "For all they know, Lucius is dead. If Draco hadn't gone looking for him tonight, it's possible that no one would've realized something was amiss until morning."

"We may able to use the fortunate fact that I am still among the living to our advantage at some point," Lucius said, nodding and looking at Hermione with approval. "Such a Slytherin move for a Gryffindor."

"There's no reason to tip our hand," Harry agreed. "We have no idea who would do such a thing, but it stands to reason that the perpetrator could be someone one of us knows."

Hermione's jaw clenched. Harry was just saying what they were all thinking. Whoever had done this had seen Hermione perform, had been to the club. He may have been there at the same time as Sirius. The idea gave him chills.

Sirius Flooed with Lucius over to 12 Grimmauld Place to work on reactivating the Unplottable charm while Draco waited with Hermione. She was packing a bag, prepared to stay at least a few nights. Harry took the bird, note, decanter and glass to Auror headquarters. Since they were trying to keep everything quiet, he wouldn't open an official investigation. Daphne Greengrass, Astoria's sister, happened to be a very competent evidence examiner at the Auror Department and everyone trusted that she would process the materials while also keeping it quiet. Before he left, Harry made Hermione and Lucius promise not to go anywhere unescorted.

So Sirius could either leave Lucius with Hermione as she packed or take him back to Grimmauld Place, and Sirius had no intention of leaving the suave Malfoy with his witch. They would all convene at Grimmauld Place, calling in reinforcements. Harry was to call Ginny and Ron while Draco contacted Astoria and Blaise to come over as well.

"There are two guest rooms, so you can have your choice," Sirius told Lucius as they banished the small amount of soot involved with Floo travel. He would close the Floo after everyone had arrived.

"I will let Hermione choose," Lucius responded, "Ladies first after all."

"Hermione already has a room here," Sirius said tightly, leading Lucius upstairs to the library. He found the Black Grimoire in its usual place and opened it to the page about the spell that made the ancestral home Unplottable.

"So Hermione is Siren," Lucius observed, making himself comfortable on a couch. "I would not have guessed that, but it does make sense. She is a remarkable witch."

"Very," Sirius agreed, narrowing his eyes at the other wizard.

"Were you as surprised as I was?"

"You didn't seem surprised at all."

Lucius shrugged and gave Sirius a look saying he should know better. Sirius did know better. People forgot that Sirius and Lucius grew up in the same circles as children, even if Lucius was about five years older. The Blacks socialized with the Malfoys frequently back when Sirius' parents were alive. Sirius learned the same lessons on how to hide his feelings, so as not to give an advantage to others. Sirius had come so far and distanced himself from his family, but Lucius Malfoy was the only person in his life who really knew where he had come from.

"I can't believe I didn't figure it out for myself," Sirius finally admitted. "I saw Hermione dancing at the party Friday night and even then I didn't see it. I was too focused on how bloody sexy she was."

"Are you in love with her?"

"Yes," Sirius reported, drawing himself up. He prepared himself for teasing or scoffing.

"Did you cheat on her?" Lucius seemed stern, disapproving.

"No! Of course not!"

"She seems to think that you want someone else. That's what she was weeping about this afternoon."

"I….I sent Siren a gift," Sirius admitted, sitting down heavily in a chair. "I sent it last week after the show we saw. I didn't think anything could happen with Hermione, didn't think it was appropriate."

"Ah," Lucius said knowingly, annoyingly. "That would anger her, I'm sure. No witch wants to see her wizard bestowing his affections on another."

"But Siren isn't another!" Sirius protested. "It was Hermione the entire time!"

"But you didn't know that," Lucius countered. "And that may be the larger issue you will need to atone for; you didn't recognize her."

"You didn't either," Sirius snapped.

"I wasn't meant to see her," Lucius chuckled. "I'm vain and shallow. I saw what I was meant to see, what all of us were meant to see; the spectacle and the entertainment, the sweet sex kitten. You are one of her best friends, right? Her friend, who she cares about deeply, looked right at her and didn't see her."

Sirius groaned and put his head in his hands.

"Lucky for you, she seems to have real feelings for you," Lucius went on. "And she does seem the forgiving type. For my sake, I hope she stays angry and you behave like an oaf. I am seeing her in a new, very attractive light. Spending a few days with her certainly will be no hardship. Maybe if you can't get back in her good graces, she and I can get to know each other better."

"Over my dead body!"

Sirius' protests were cut off by voices coming up the stairs. From the noise they were making, it sounded like everyone had arrived. Sirius went to tell everyone to come into the library, but didn't miss the lascivious, Machiavellian grin on Lucius' face. He was such a scheming prat. Sirius needed to fix the mess he made with Hermione and he needed to be quick about it.

Next: Hermione!


	8. Chapter 8

I know this chapter was a long time coming! The summer was distracting for me and when I get distracted (say by a new TV show or book series), I tend to binge it all and do nothing else!

I haven't abandoned the story at all and fully intend to finish - likely just a few more chapters after this one to wrap it up. :-)

Here is Hermione's point of view. And I will admit that my love of Lucius probably shines through here too.

Thank you to bunnyhops for the beta! She's the best!

And I don't own Harry Potter at all and have to rights to him, his friends, or his world - it's just so fun that I can't help writing about it.

Chapter 8

There had been an amazing clamor when everyone arrived at Sirius' house earlier that night. Hermione and Draco Flooed over just behind Blaise and Ginny. Astoria arrived moments later, then Harry returned with Ron in tow. The group convened in the Black family library, where they found Lucius and Sirius lounging about like old friends. Hermione spent so much time in that library over the years, it was strange to see Lucius there. Of course, it was likely the elder Malfoy had been at visitor at Grimmauld Place when Sirius' parents were still alive.

Sirius had offered drinks, but Lucius paled at the sight of the Firewhisky, so they set it aside. Harry detailed the events of the evening to the newcomers. The shock, outrage, and concern was nearly deafening in the room. Everyone was suitably appalled by the attempt on Lucius' life and disconcerted by Hermione's new 'admirer'. It was simple enough to work through the timeline of events. They surmised that the attempted murderer must have seen Siren's Saturday night performance and then witnessed at least some of Hermione's run in with Lucius the next day. Astoria pointed out that there was a very small window in which the perpetrator would have had to work. The poison must have been planted after Hermione cried on Lucius, but before he returned home for the evening.

Neither Blaise, Ginny, nor Astoria recalled anyone or anything unusual Saturday evening at the club. Astoria could easily compile a list of the members in attendance that night. Ron advised that she include everyone who worked at the club that night as well, which made Hermione feel even sadder. The idea that anyone in the Emerald family would do such a thing made her feel sick to her stomach. Lucius and Blaise provided pensieve memories of Siren's performance so that the others could see as well. The theory was that Blaise or Lucius may have seen someone behaving strangely and not noticed it at the time.

It was strange for Hermione to watch herself. Blaise only watched part of the show, as he had things to attend to back stage. Hermione did feel bad when she saw how they had to rearrange the rest of the show. Her song had been entirely too sad to be followed by the peppy number that had been scheduled. Blaise worked admirably, moving around behind the scenes; but Hermione didn't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary. Lucius' memory was interesting, as Hermione had not realized how much she was really focused on him. At points during that song, it seemed that Siren was staring him down. Lucius had scanned the crowd before she went on, but he hadn't looked away during the actual song. It turns out that Lucius Malfoy wasn't very interested in the people around him once he'd determined earlier in the night that there was no one important enough to be worth his time.

While the memories didn't provide any leads about a suspect, they did affect Sirius. After he saw her sing, crying on stage, the look he gave her was full of feelings. He was clearly upset that she had been so sad, that he had hurt her. Sirius put his hand on the small of her back in a tentative gesture of comfort. Hermione stood with him for a moment, but stepped away. She didn't want to talk to him about _them_ , there were more important things to do.

Hermione took an empty seat next to Lucius. Tori was on his other side, still holding her future father-in-law's hand. She had taken his hand when she heard about Lucius' brush with death and hadn't let go since. The poised, stoic blonde was shaken, as were all of them. Ginny was holding on to Blaise, both looking how Hermione felt. None of them could imagine who could do such a thing. It was Ron who suggested the most viable plan.

"So, we are basically at square one, but have a big list of possible suspects," Ron summarized. "Daphne might come up with some clues after she processes the evidence. Tomorrow, Harry and I can go over to Malfoy Manor and look around; maybe we can find something there. We all think it's likely that this stalker creep was at the show Saturday night. Astoria will get us the list of everyone who set foot in that building, but that will be a lot of people and we have no way of narrowing it down. Since we can't go to him, maybe we can get him to come to us… draw him out."

"And how would we do that, Ron?" Sirius asked, his voice icy. Hermione started at bit at his tone and looked at him. Sirius was glaring at Ron, eyes narrowed.

"Siren," Hermione spoke up, realizing what Ron was talking about and why Sirius was irritated. "He wants me, so he would come if I asked him to."

"No," Sirius said angrily. "You aren't going to be bait."

"I'm not going to sit around and do nothing," Hermione snapped back.

"Mr. Weasley has a good point," Lucius interjected calmly. "We are wandering blindly, with little direction at this point. If this… _person_ … attempts to contact Hermione again, we could arrange a trap to ensnare him."

"If we could get him to come to Hermione's apartment again, we could be waiting," Harry added. "Hermione wouldn't even need to really be there."

"Oh, _Hermione_ is going to be there," Hermione hissed, irritated that they were talking about her as if she wasn't part of this. "I can handle myself just fine."

"I don't want you to get hurt," Sirius countered, his voice pleading slightly. "We don't know who this person is, but they are capable of truly awful things. He was willing to kill Lucius and we have no idea what he wants to do with you."

"Be that as it may, this may be the best course of action," Hermione replied, softening slightly. "I am not going to live with this threat hanging over my head, wondering if he's nearby. He knows who I am and where I live. And Lucius can't stay hidden forever. If we do this, we'll have a plan. I can defend myself, both magically and physically, but I wouldn't purposefully put myself out as bait without backup."

"Given that we don't know who this is, how do we make a plan?" Tori asked. "We can't post a banner at Hermione's shop saying, hey, if you would murder for me - meet me for tea and a chat."

"The club," Ginny spoke up. "Siren can dedicate a song to him."

"You can make him think you appreciated what he's done for you," Lucius said. "It seems that he sees himself as your protector, your knight in shining armor. I imagine he would be thrilled with a display of your gratitude."

Hermione shivered. The idea of pandering to this person's ego, of thanking him for hurting someone made her queasy. That performance would require a great deal of acting.

"I don't know if I can be convincing," Hermione said softly, putting her hand on Lucius' arm.

"You are an amazing artist," Lucius responded, patting her leg. "You can do it."

"We'll all help," Ginny added. "We can pick a song and go over it together."

"And I'll come up with a costume," Tori volunteered.

"And we will be with you the entire time," Blaise offered. "You'll be sick of us, because we won't let you out of our sight."

Hermione's eyes welled with tears. The past few days had left her emotionally raw and she didn't feel able to tackle this new crisis with her usual tenacity. Having her friends around her, on her side and ready to help was comforting. Hermione knew she could always count on Ron and Harry for help, that was a given, but this assortment of former Gryffindors and Slytherins was an even stronger team.

The plan established, Sirius did the series of spells required to make Grimmauld Place Unplottable once again. Those inside the house would remain unaffected by the spell since they were there when it was cast. After lots of hugs, Sirius walked the guests downstairs so he could block the Floo after they had left. Alone with Lucius, Hermione felt compelled to apologize again for bringing him into this mess.

"None of this was your fault," Lucius told her kindly. "In fact, this may have been the best possible scenario."

"How can you say that? You were poisoned!"

"How many other people would have survived such an attempt on their lives? Not many, I assure you. If this…coward had realized who had truly hurt your heart, Sirius would no longer be with us."

The image of Sirius lying on the floor of his parlor, an empty Firewhisky glass on the floor beside his lifeless body came unbidden to her mind. Hermione felt faint and sat suddenly on the couch next to her. She hadn't even thought of that. She had been hurt, been upset; but the poisoner had assumed Lucius was at fault. If he had been accurate, Sirius would've been the target. As far as she knew, Sirius hadn't developed any immunities to poisons, so he would've died.

"I apologize. I hadn't meant to upset you further." Lucius sat next to her on the couch.

"No, it's not your fault. It's only…you're right. The thought of Sirius dying…"

Lucius wrapped his arms around her shoulders and Hermione leaned into him, trying not to cry.

"It has been a trying day and you don't need to bear the burden of it alone."

"I know. Thank you. I can't believe this is the second time today that I've cried on your shoulder."

Hermione chuckled wryly and Lucius joined her, which Hermione also found amusing. Leaning on Lucius Malfoy for emotional support wasn't even the strangest thing that had happened to her that day.

"I don't know why you are surprised, given my reputation as a warm and tender individual," Lucius deadpanned.

Hermione couldn't contain the bark of laughter that erupted from her, startling the patrician Malfoy who still held her close. Giddy from stress and laugh of sleep, Hermione couldn't stop laughing and soon Lucius joined in. His laugh was nice, low and throaty.

"What in Merlin's name is so funny?" Sirius asked from the doorway. Hermione looked up at the man she loved so dearly, who could not appear more confused than he did at that moment.

"Nothing," Lucius responded.

"Everything," Hermione replied simultaneously. That set off another peal of laughter, which made Hermione unable to speak for a few moments. Drawing a deep breath and wiping the tears from her eyes, she was able to talk again. "It's been a long day."

"Maybe we should all get some rest," Sirius suggest, eyeing her and Lucius warily. "The Floo is blocked and the house is heavily warded."

"Thank you again," Hermione said to Lucius. She leaned up and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I needed that."

Lucius replied with a simple nod and Hermione stood up. She must really be knackered if she was kissing Lucius. She headed out of the library and paused next to Sirius in the doorway. She didn't have nearly enough energy to deal with him tonight. They would need to address what was between them at some point, but it was not the time. Hermione put her hand on Sirius' shoulder and pulled him down while she went up on tiptoe. She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek as well.

"Goodnight," Hermione said softly and then went upstairs to her usual room.

Hermione braided her wet hair and cast about her bedroom, trying to think of something to more do. Her room was quite nice, but Hermione felt too unsettled by the whole evening to be comfortable. Even though it was very late and she felt exhausted down to her bones, the prospect of sleeping was unattractive. She'd already organized the small bag she'd packed and taken a long shower.

There was nothing left to do but sit on the bed in her nightgown, thinking. Hermione imagined that she was the only one still awake in the house. She'd heard Sirius take Lucius to one of the guest rooms upstairs some time ago. A bit later Hermione thought she'd heard Sirius pause in the hallway for a moment before he went into this own room, across the hall from hers. She thought about reading one of the books she'd brought, but knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate. She really was exhausted.

Deciding that there really was no alternative, Hermione took her wand and crept out of her room. The hallway was dark, save for a very dim light from a streetlamp filtering in through a window further down the hall. There was no sign of light coming from the crack under Sirius' door. She tried his doorknob and it turned easily. Hermione slipped into his room, silently closing the door behind her. It was easier to see, thanks to his large windows and open curtains that let in the moonlight. Sirius was sprawled under a sheet and Hermione slid into bed next to him, leaving her wand on the nightstand. He roused as the mattress shifted with her weight.

"'Mione?" Sirius asked, sitting up slightly.

"I can't sleep by myself, not after everything that's happened today," she whispered.

"'Mione," Sirius started, sounding more awake.

"No talking," Hermione interrupted quickly, her voice pleading. "Just sleeping. I'm so tired."

"Okay, no talking." Sirius moved closer and pulled her into him, her back cradled against his chest. Hermione sighed and felt her body relax against his. Her tired eyes finally closed. He pressed a kiss into her temple. "I can give you whatever you need, always."

The situation was stressful for everyone, which Hermione recognized. She did feel that she was bearing the brunt of that stress though. It chafed that her movements were so curtailed. Sirius and Lucius ganged up on her Monday morning over breakfast, arguing that she shouldn't go into work as scheduled. She hoped that this was not going to be an oft-repeated dynamic, the two wizards joining sides to argue with her. Hermione hadn't even finished her morning tea.

"It's my shop!" Hermione argued. "I'm not going to let this person drive me away from my own business!"

"The bookstore can live without you for a day," Sirius countered.

"I have a number of business interests that will be neglected today and I'm still willing to remain here," Lucius added, which made Hermione feel awful. Lucius Malfoy's vast empire was more substantial than her shop and he stood to lose a great deal more money.

"They'll be shorthanded," Hermione said lamely. She was loathe to change her routine because it felt like this stalker was winning if she changed her usual activities.

"I can go. I'll tell Mandy and Justin that you are ill today." Sirius offered. "I'll fill in. I'm sure I won't mess it up too badly. You exchange books for money, correct?"

Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes. Sirius was sweet but also exasperating at times.

"This feels like hiding and I haven't done anything wrong."

"Neither have I," Lucius said, then he looked thoughtful. "I haven't done anything wrong _lately_. Or maybe I should say, I didn't do what this would-be murderer thinks I've done. That's accurate."

Hermione chuckled. She hadn't realized that the elder Malfoy had such a dry sense of humor. She hadn't been able to argue further because Harry and Ron arrived. They were followed shortly by Draco and Tori along with Ginny and Blaise.

Sirius busied himself trying to make tea and toast for everyone, but his House Elf Gretel quickly shooed him away.

"I'm going into the bookstore to fill in for Hermione today," Sirius announced.

"That's a good idea," Harry said, nodding. "Lucius, Ron and I would like you to come with us to the Manor so you can determine if anything is amiss that we wouldn't have noticed."

"I'm supposed to leave town for a few days on business, but I don't think I'm comfortable doing that," Draco announced to the group. While Draco was part-owner of the club, he still did a lot of work for the family business.

"Someone has to work while I take a little vacation, pretending to be dead," Lucius countered.

"It would be easier to explain why there's no announcement about Lucius' death," Tori said with a sigh. "If you are out of town, you can't be expected to find his body until you get back."

Everyone agreed that Draco should go as planned later that morning, although he made them all promise to keep him updated. Tori had compiled the list of everyone at the club Saturday night, giving everyone a copy. They went over it together in the kitchen. Ron expressed surprise that so many notable members of the Wizarding Britain were also members of the club. There were not many people that they crossed off the list, which made Hermione sad. Harry and Lucius had insisted that if someone suggested a person be removed, they had to have some evidence that the person could not be the stalker. Saying that they just wouldn't do such a thing didn't count as evidence.

Mid-morning, Sirius went off to do Hermione's job and Draco left for his trip. Harry and Ron escorted Lucius back to the Manor as covertly as possible in order to look for clues. Hermione spent the remainder of the morning discussing and debating song choices for Siren with Ginny, Blaise, and Tori. They all agreed that the song couldn't be out of character for Siren, since this 'admirer' liked her already. After lunch, Hermione just chose the song she liked best out of the three still left in contention. Blaise and Tori left to do work at the club while Ginny and Hermione talked out the staging.

After Ginny left, Hermione spent far too long staring at the list of possible suspects. It wasn't as if she could see obsession and homicidal intent in the letters that made up each name. Recognizing that she was being ridiculous, Hermione went to the kitchen and insisted that the House Elves assign her some easy, menial task to help with dinner. She was not much of a cook, but chopping vegetables was similar to prepping potion ingredients. Hermione was slicing potatoes into very precise rounds when Harry and Lucius came through the Floo.

"You must be bored if you've resorted to cooking," Harry said, as he dusted the Floo powder off his robes.

"Was your afternoon productive?" Hermione asked eagerly, looking between the two wizards. Lucius' sour expression gave her the answer to her question before Harry spoke.

"We didn't find much," Harry responded with a sigh. "We don't know how they breached the wards."

"It shouldn't be possible!" Lucius hissed, slamming a large bag down on the table. Hermione sympathized. She was still unnerved by the fact that this stalker somehow knew both her identity and where she lived. Lucius took a deep breath. "I apologize for my outburst. It was a frustrating day. I was able to pack some things, so that was beneficial. If you'll excuse me, I'll take this upstairs."

Hermione nodded and Lucius left. She invited Harry to stay for dinner, but he had plans with Ollie. He did promise to return the next day after breakfast. Hermione thanked him and pulled him into a tight hug before he left. A short while later, Lucius wandered back into the kitchen looking frustrated. He stood and watched Hermione chop for a moment, but then paced. She understood his agitation. Lucius Malfoy always seemed to be a wizard of action, but had nothing to do.

"You may as well do some work if you're going to stalk about the kitchen," Hermione stated. She dumped a pile of carrots onto the end of the table closest to him and rested a knife near the vegetables.

"You expect me to do manual labor?" Lucius' tone was scathing.

"Stabbing things helps," Hermione said, shrugging. She went back to viciously chopping potatoes. The House Elves were going to have more cut up raw potato than they could possibly use.

Hermione smirked when Lucius sat down. Soon enough he was eviscerating carrots with gusto. There was a large pile of chopped vegetables, as they had moved on to turnips and parsnips, when the Floo roared to life. Sirius dragged himself out and stopped after a few steps, staring at them.

"I don't know how you do it, 'Mione," Sirius said after a moment. "That book store of yours is exhausting. I am so tired that I'm hallucinating Lucius Malfoy doing kitchen work."

"Hermione has suggested that killing vegetables may make us feel better," Lucius responded, cleanly splitting a turnip in half with a sudden chop. "It's working a little bit."

Sirius nodded. He turned and opened a large cabinet.

"I've found that this works better to make me forget my troubles," Sirius said, setting an armful of liquor bottles on the table before taking a seat. "Since you are off Firewhisky for a while, Lucius, I have plenty others. Pick your poison."

Hermione eyed the array of bottles, unsurprised at the bounty laid before them. Sirius always kept his house well stocked. There was rum, vodka, brandy, gin, cognac, and tequila in addition to the bourbon and whisky. It had been a long day and Hermione thought Sirius' suggestion had merit. Hermione wandlessly Accio'd three large glasses and set one before each of them. Another wandless spell and she was breaking the seal on the tequila.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Hermione said, filling her cup. She set a bowl of limes and the salt shaker next to her. "I think we've all done enough work for today. Do you gentlemen care to join me?"

Lucius grinned and the bottle of vodka slid across the table into his hand. He raised his newly full glass and Sirius followed suit, a nearly overflowing glass filled with rum clinking into the others.

"Here's to house arrest," Hermione said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. The wizards chuckled and they each drank deeply.

"Well, this is…interesting."

Hermione groaned. She recognized that voice, but was more focused on the throbbing in her head. And the front of her body felt too warm.

"What?" Hermione tried to ask, but it came out as a groan and her tongue felt heavy.

Hermione lifted her head and saw that Sirius was laying on the floor of the library. He was easy to see because she had been sleeping on his back, for some reason. Hermione pushed herself up, her hands on Sirius' shoulder blades. No wonder she felt so warm. Sirius gave a grunt, but didn't rouse. She looked around for the source of the voice and saw Lucius starting to sit up on the couch, clearly in the same pain as herself.

"What time is it, Mr. Potter?" Lucius asked, his voice gravely.

"Just after nine," Harry responded. Hermione turned to face her friend. Harry grinned at her and held up a large brown bag. "I brought pastry!"

Hermione hauled herself up off of Sirius, who began to stir, mumbling something about being cold.

"I'm going to need a minute and some hangover potion," Hermione croaked. She looked down at her rumpled clothes and shoved her tangled hair out of her face. "I may need five minutes, actually."

Hermione felt much better after taking the potion and a shower. Last night had been odd. She remembered eating a large dinner that the Elves had made, complete with excessive amounts of chopped vegetable dishes. The three of them drank and talked and drank even more. Sirius was in his element, regaling them with stories and boosting their spirits. Hermione loved his ability to make the best of things. Sirius could get her out of her head, which was invaluable. She remembered going to the library with them. She also remembered a game of Never Have I Ever. To her recollection, she had been winning. It wasn't hard for her to think of things the two wizards had likely done that she hadn't. She must have caught up to them because her memory got fuzzy.

Hermione found everyone back in the library, all looking well pieced together. Sirius was his usual charming self and Lucius looked as reserved as ever. If Hermione hadn't seen the Malfoy patriarch slurring into his cups last night she would've said it wasn't possible.

"Daphne said she'd be done processing the evidence tomorrow, so I thought we'd go through these," Harry said, gesturing to the box of Siren's letters Hermione had given him. "Astoria told me which safety scans they use at the club, but I did a few of my own earlier this morning. It all looks safe, so we need to check the content of the letters for clues."

The four of them began to tackle Siren's fan mail while eating pastry and drinking very strong tea. Lucius suggested they divide the letters into piles based on the sender. Several individuals wrote fairly frequently, so their stacks were high. Harry made a list of Siren's fans, noting how many times each had written. Some signed their full names, others just used first names, a few wrote an initial, and there were a number that had no sign off at all.

Hermione had always had a generally positive view of her fan mail, but reading them with the purpose of determining if the sender was a homicidal stalker felt sad. She sighed and looked around. Sirius was scowling at the letters he was reading while Lucius looked amused. Harry was squirming in his seat, his face reddening; which made Hermione smile.

"You're reading Ephraim's letters, right Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded.

"This is…um…graphic," Harry finally said, clearing his throat.

"Pretty sexy though," Hermione said, grinning. She would have to remember that most of Siren's fans weren't out to kill anyone. This stalker was an anomaly.

"I may need to…double check those letters when you're done, Harry," Sirius added. He flashed Hermione a cheeky grin, one she couldn't help but return.

"This Ephraim doesn't seem to be the type," Harry replied. "In his fantasies, Hermione is strong and dominant, not a damsel in need of rescue."

"Siren," Hermione interjected quickly. "He wrote about Siren, not me."

"Regardless, it does sound as though it merits a thorough examination," Lucius stated casually. "Feel free to pass them this way when you are through, Black."

"You are all incorrigible," Hermione scolded, although she couldn't suppress her grin. She was so glad her friends were around to keep her from becoming too maudlin.

They looked through fan letters until lunch and then took a break to eat. After lunch, Sirius set up a large chart with all the names and pseudonyms of Siren's fans. Then the speculation began. Sirius, Harry, and Lucius all had guesses about the identities of the more anonymous fans. They also began ranking fans in terms of most and least likely to be a homicidal stalker based on the content of their letters. Hermione found herself bothered by the whole exercise and excused herself. The wizards were so focused on debate that they hardly noticed when she left.

In the kitchen, Hermione sat with a cup of tea and enjoyed the silence. She realized that she had developed relationships in her mind with these fans and didn't like thinking about them doing awful things.

"There you are!" Tori exclaimed, whirling into the kitchen. "I am upset by all of this and Draco isn't here to make me feel better."

"So I'm going to make you feel better?" Hermione asked, a bemused smile on her face.

"We'll make each other feel better and have a girls night," Tori informed her.

"I'm supposed to stay here," Hermione sighed.

"So I will come here," Tori shrugged, leaning against the table. "We can watch movies and eat junk food until we pass out."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"Now that you have our wonderful evening to look forward to, I don't feel too bad telling you I just dropped off Siren's most recent mail and gifts to the guys upstairs," Tori went on. Hermione pulled a face. "I scanned everything twice myself and now Harry is doing his fancy Auror scans. I told them they better not start opening it without you, but I wouldn't trust them to hold off for long. I'll be back for dinner and bring all the supplies we need for the rest of the evening."

Tori whirled out of the room and Hermione heaved a sigh. She had never opened and read her fan mail in front of other people before, but it was necessary. Hermione certainly trusted Sirius and Harry, but she was just getting used to Lucius. She felt Lucius was entitled to this information since he was the one who almost died. He also added an interesting point of view. Tori was right about the wizard's impatience. When Hermione got back upstairs Sirius was holding up letters and trying to see through the envelopes.

In the end, there was nothing too out of the ordinary in the fan letters. There was no confessional letter from a fanatical killer. There were more notes from ladies than was usual and all were sympathetic to Siren's clear heartbreak. Even her regular fans included words of sympathy and encouragement. Hermione kept looking over at Sirius, who was giving her his most adorable puppy dog eyes. She knew he was sorry that she was hurt, that much was obvious. What Hermione still didn't know was who Sirius had truly preferred, her or Siren. Was she the consolation prize because he couldn't find out the identity of the witch he really wanted? The most obvious way to answer this question was to ask Sirius, but part of her didn't want to hear his response.

Hermione focused back on Siren's letters. Ephraim's weekly letter proved a delightful distraction. His latest erotic scene with Siren offered her a chance to dominate and punish him to vent her romantic frustrations. Ephraim was a willing stand-in for Siren's anger toward anyone male. Needless to say, everyone had to examine that particular letter.

"What do you want to do tonight, 'Mione?" Sirius asked as Harry was packing up all of Siren's fan mail. Sirius rested a hand on her shoulder, his touch more tentative than in the past. A week ago, Sirius wouldn't have hesitated to pull her into him or sling her arm around her waist. Hermione missed that. She leaned into him and relaxed.

"Astoria's coming over for a girl's night," Hermione reported. "She'll be here for dinner and then we'll probably watch movies, eating ice cream."

"That sounds nice," Sirius said. He leaned against her and lightly rested his chin on her head. They stood there for a moment together. "We should talk."

"I know," Hermione responded. "Another day?"

"Of course," Sirius replied. He pressed a kiss into her hair and went to help Harry clean up.

The night was lovely, just as Tori said it would be. Both of the witches really needed a night of movies and snacks in their pajamas. They curled up on Hermione's bed with her laptop, candy, and ice cream. Being a pureblood witch, Tori hadn't really been exposed to films before she met Hermione. Once she started watching, Tori became a movie fiend. Tonight was Dirty Dancing, Legally Blonde, and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

The witches were up so late that they had to rush out in the morning. Despite Sirius' protests, Hermione and Tori went off to Marcus' gym. Tori was with her and they were going to a public place. They went straight to the back room, just to be safe. Hermione had to run through her song at least once before Friday and she always gave Ginny feedback about the rest of the show on Wednesdays. Tori stayed with them and they were all vigilant. No one noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Hermione went straight to her shop from rehearsal. Sirius had done a good job covering for her on Monday, but there were some things only Hermione could do herself. Sirius was there when she arrived, shelving books and chatting to customers. She knew he was there to watch out for her, to protect her. The mild irritation of being treated like a damsel in distress was outweighed by the relief of having him close by.

Being at work was more difficult for her than Hermione had expected. She considered each customer with an apprehension that felt unnatural. She wondered about each patron, asking herself if they seemed a threat. She noticed everything, listening not just to words but to tone and inflection. She saw every quirk, twitch, or glace a person made. It was exhausting. Hermione barely made it through her usual Wednesday night computer class and was grateful for the small turnout of students. By the time Hermione locked the doors at closing time, she felt as though every nerve in her body was frayed.

"You look tired," Sirius observed, casually leaning against the counter.

"Exhausted," Hermione admitted as she walked toward him. "I'll be so glad when we catch this person, so I don't have to keep thinking he could be around any corner or just appear in front of me all of a sudden. Thank you for staying today."

Sirius opened his arms and Hermione stepped in, resting her cheek on his chest.

"Of course, 'Mione. I'll always be here for you, you know that."

"All I want to do tonight is take a nice, long bath," Hermione sighed.

"I'm sure we can make that happen." Sirius gave a small sigh and looked a bit disappointed. Hermione decided not to ask why.

They Flooed back to Grimmauld Place and Hermione immediately went to the stairs. Sirius stayed behind, saying something about making a cup of tea. She popped her head into the library upstairs as she passed and saw Lucius inside reading.

"How was your day?" Hermione asked, coming inside.

"Dull," he reported, setting his book down. He gestured to the space beside him and Hermione accepted the invitation to sit. "You've been gone a long time."

"Very," Hermione agreed with a sigh. She leaned back into the cushions. She explained the work she did with Ginny most Wednesdays to prepare for the coming weekend at the club. "I love my shop, I do; but it was hard today. I was suspicious of everyone that stepped foot in the store. I couldn't relax when there were any customers there."

"Wishing you had no customers isn't a good business model."

"No, it's not," Hermione agreed, a wry grin on her face. "Sirius stayed in the shop with me the whole day, which was helpful. I don't know what I would've done if he hadn't been there."

"Where is he now?"

"Downstairs, making tea I think."

"Hmmmm." Lucius looked thoughtful. Hermione raised her eyebrows in question. "It seemed that you were quite…smitten with him just this past Sunday when you were creating a scene in the street and crying into your tea."

"I was! I mean, I am." Hermione was confused. Of course she was smitten with Sirius, she loved him. Everything had just become so complicated lately.

"So he is avoiding talking to you, then? He sent you away to make tea in private?"

"I came up for a bath, to relax. It's been a long day." Hermione was beginning to see what Lucius was talking about. It wasn't as if she hadn't noticed that she'd been at Sirius' house with him for three days now and they hadn't cleared the air. Hermione even recognized that she was the one avoiding the conversation. She realized that Sirius' earlier disappointed sigh may have been because her plans to relax in the tub did not allow them that talk he'd asked for the previous day.

"Very cunning," Lucius said, nodding knowingly. "It will be to your benefit to put off any discussion. Black can stew, feeling upset and off-balance, not knowing where he stands with you. Do you want a romantic relationship with him? Or were you happy with your one-night stand? Do you just want to be friends? Keep him in the dark. It's a good punishment for what he did and it will make him easier to manipulate."

"I don't want to manipulate him or punish him!" Hermione felt horrified at what Lucius was saying. She knew she'd been avoiding the conversation for her own self-preservation, but hadn't really considered Sirius. He had hurt her, but she didn't want to punish him; especially not after everything that happened. The fact that Sirius could and should have been the real target of the would-be killer stuck with Hermione ever since Lucius pointed it out. Even the _idea_ of losing him was extremely painful. There was nothing like the threat of death to create perspective.

"Of course, if you've decided against him entirely I would be happy to help you rebound," Lucius continued. "After all, you are a very attractive witch. If you aren't quite sure, I would be happy to help make Black jealous. That would be a delightful game."

"I don't want to play games with him either! I love him and I want to be with him."

"Ah, well, my loss I suppose."

Lucius reached over and retrieved his book. He had what Hermione could only describe as a self-satisfied, smug look on his face. If she didn't know better, she would've guessed that the elder Malfoy was goading her into talking to Sirius. Hermione knew she loved Sirius and she also knew she didn't want to play games with him. She wasn't that kind of witch. Hermione never shied away from conflict before out of worry something wouldn't go her way. She faced things head on. Hiding from this conversation was cowardly, but could also be hurting Sirius. She had to talk to him tonight.


End file.
